Immature ::The Mineral Collector::
by Fomalhaut
Summary: True love? Not something to be found in the Host Club! A dreamy customer finally realized that, but will she ever find true love? SatoshiOC, very slight implied KyoyaOC - FINALLY UPDATED: confusion...
1. Prologue

**I hope you like this, as this is just the prologue. Nothing is what it seems! So it won't turn sappy and predictable, and OCs (I used a whole chapter of my Ouran Sue-guide to parodise the ones who show up here) will be played down, except for one. **

**On a side note, I decided to use the names Western-style, with the surname coming as second, to make it easier.**

* * *

It was ten minutes to 3 PM, and Tamaki was crouching in the corner, for Haruhi had just refused his request to dress as the empress for that day's Ancient Rome cosplay (given that Tamaki, the King, was the emperor, of course).

"You're getting your toga dirty" Kyoya kept on scribbling in his notebook "and please, stop picking at the laurel wreath on your head."

Haruhi, after a while, came out of a dressing room wearing a cream-coloured toga. She didn't even bother asking Kyoya how much was just added to her debt.

"I'm without an empress…" muttered Emperor Tamaki.

"No" Kyoya checked the reservation list in his notebook, which he refused to change to a stylish roll of paper "today we're expecting a customer of yours whom you _have_ to treat as an empress."

"Who?" asked Hunny, dressed in a cute white Roman servant's vest, as he held on to Mori's warrior helmet.

"On your schedule, there is Princess Kamimae, and also…"

Tamaki immediately stood up and adjusted the laurels.

"I will be more than happy to welcome her…"

Haruhi brushed her hair nervously in front of the mirror. She had seen that customer a few times before, and she never failed to make her feel not only a commoner, but even as some lowly homeless beggar, even though she didn't mean to. Having been a student at Ouran and a member of the Host Club for quite a while now, Haruhi got accustomed to rich and snobbish people, but that girl of class 2/B was the only one who showed it so openly and innocently that it still made her shiver. Of course, however, she was Kyoya's favourite as one of the best paying guests, who wasn't in class A only because her lineage wasn't so excellent.

She was awoken for her pondering by Kyoya's voice, reading up her reservation list. One of them was a friend of Princess Kamimae, and of course had to be welcomed warmly, for upsetting one of the richest girls at school wasn't a good strategy. Also, the fact that it would inevitably lead to upsetting Kyoya was an even worse scenario.

"You two, try to get ready in time" Kyoya turned at the twins, who were busy trying to adjust the clips on their respectivily light blue and dark yellow togas.

_Just another normal day at the Ouran Host Club_, thought Haruhi.

* * *

Soon the clock struck three. Exactly as the last stroke died down, the door of the Third Music Room opened to the first customers.

"EEEE! Emperor Tamaki!"

"Mori-senpai is a hero!"

"Hunny-senpai is so cute!"

"My my, which senator is Hikaru-kun?"

"Haruhi, you're like a real Roman from history!" a girl with short brown hair, her first customer that day, squealed.

Haruhi just smiled.

"Care for some tea? It's really from Rome…"

The girl didn't care it wasn't _ancient_ Rome; she drank the tea happily, losing herself in Haruhi's eyes.

But those eyes caught a glance of the dreaded Princess Kamimae entering the door.

She walked in as if on the red carpet, and before the hosts could greet her, her sharp voice came down like thunder.

"Itsuko! How _dare_ you come in before me!"

Haruhi went pale as a sheet.

"She's just joking" her customer, aforementioned "Itsuko", simply turned to her friend "hi, Aki!"

Aki Kamimae shook her messy blonde locks and held her hand out.

"My Princess Kamimae…" Tamaki went down on one knee "I would give my whole treasury to have you as my Empress…"

"That will do" Aki sat down on the couch "how about some tea to warm me up first?"

Haruhi turned to her customers, by then more than one, again. Aki somehow scared her, but she tried not to show it.

* * *

"Oh, Emperor Tamaki, how about the lowly girls in your Empire who would do anything to get a glimpse of you when you exit your Palace?"

"I will reward them with a smile…" Tamaki gently took a strand of his second customer's curly red hair in his hand "but will let them know that you, beautiful Riyoka, own a special place among them…"

Aki allowed this only because Riyoka was one of her small group of friends. As Riyoka nearly fainted and her eyes filled with tears, Tamaki's attention was all hers once again anyhow.

* * *

"Which one is Senator Hikaru?"

"Oh, blue toga! Oh, I'm surely wrong!"

The twins' customers were surely enjoying themselves.

"Yellow toga?" asked one with black hair tied back in a tight bun "oh, but no, I'm surely wrong too!"

"You should know if you're right, Orimi!" a careless voice shouted.

"Aki!" she blushed.

_She's taking over the whole Host Club_, thought Haruhi, as she stood up to bring some more tea to her growing group of customers.

* * *

The Host Club had been open for about two hours, and Aki still didn't seem ready to leave, when the door opened slightly.

"A new customer!" Tamaki smiled and stood up "welcome to the Host Club Empire, my beautiful princess!"

"Aki!" the black-haired girl looked past Tamaki without too much care "you're late!"

"Oh my, can't you wait a little longer?"

"But we were supposed to meet!"

"Well, let's enjoy the Host Club together! About time you became a customer, Kaname!"

Tamaki was visibly hurt.

"Oh, Emperor Tamaki" Riyoka clung to his arm "please forgive her…"

The girl Aki called Kaname walked to the couch a little reluctantly, a shojo manga titled _Romantic Egoist_ sticking out of her bag.

"Which one do you choose?" asked Tamaki "princess…"

"Kaname Kinishi" hinted Aki, before Kyoya could check in his notebook.

"Princess Kinishi?" Tamaki looked at her in the most seductive way.

"I… I…" Kaname blushed "I don't want to…"

"Cake, Kana-chan?" Hunny bounced to her happily with a plate of cheesecake.

"Maybe… I'll have some…" she threw a quick look at the door, as if planning escape.

But it was too late, for Hunny dragged her to another couch, next to a table full of sweets.

_Poor girl_, thought Haruhi.

Aki smiled in satisfaction, holding out her empty cup to Tamaki.

"Tea" she commanded "and stand ready to welcome her in the days to come."

_Why isn't she yet a regular customer of Kyoya's?_

To Haruhi, Aki seemed more and more Kyoya stuffed into a girly Tamaki's body. Cold and calculating, she was the one who dragged all four of her best friends and classmates to the Host Club for the first time.

"Haruhi-kun?" Itsuko looked at her "if only I could know what you are thinking about when you look in the distance like that!"

"Um…" she put on a natural smile "oh, only about you… if you really feel comfortable when thrown into such a foreign world as this, Ancient Rome."

The natural response made all the girls around her squeal. Kyoya scribbled in his notebook.

* * *

After closure, as the members were all gathering their belongings and the Roman accessories, Kyoya seemed more than satisfied.

"Thirteen of them bought our _Medieval Times_ album, based on one of the recent cosplays, and Princess Kamimae reserved five copies of the _Host Club Empire_, if it is ever to come out. Paying in advance, of course."

The twins looked a little annoyed, as Kyoya was always thinking about money. This was probably the only reason why he allowed Aki Kamimae to slow down the flow of customers sometimes.

"As for tomorrow, Lord, you will welcome Miss Aki Kamimae and Riyoka Ijiri again, while Itsuko Watabe and Orimi Tono, strangely not Milord's customer, are expected too."

Haruhi and the twins didn't mind, the two girls, despite belonging to her group, weren't by far as authoritary as Aki.

"Oh, and we have a new customer… hopefully a regular" added Kyoya "Kaname Kinishi, Class 2/B. Lineage: good, daughter of a semi-noble family. Wealth: adequate. Connections: superior, especially with the Kamimae company. She asked for a reservation with Mori-senpai."

Haruhi still didn't understand why even seemingly normal girls got entangled in the Host Club's net shortly after they entered.

* * *

"You'll enjoy it!" in her golden limousine, Aki patted her best friend's shoulder.

"Just a try… but really, I only wish to find true love… and I don't think they really…"

"Relax already!"

Kaname smiled weakly, still clutching her copy of _Romantic Egoist._

In romance novels and shojo mangas, everything used to be so simple and beautiful!

* * *

**Reviews and constructive criticism is always welcome. No flames, please, you gotta have a reason to dislike this apart from 'IT STINKS!", right?**


	2. Rose Quartz

**Title changed, since except for the prologue, each chapter will be titled after a mineral.**

**Most OCs played down, don't let that turn you away! Oh, and it was time for the two little brothers to make a cameo, right?**

**

* * *

If you can't recall when Kaoru said what Haruhi is referring to, it's chapter 14 of the manga, Volume 4.**

* * *

**Chapter One – Rose Quartz**

_The way to a boy's heart is through his stomach._

_To conquer a boy's heart, you need to talk to him!_

* * *

"Um, Kaoru…" asked Haruhi, after the Host Club, with no special cosplay that day, had been open for about an hour "didn't you say Mori-senpai's customers are mostly shy and introverted types?"

"_Mostly…_" Kaoru brushed his hair "but, eh… there could be exceptions, you see…"

Haruhi saw said "exception" too well. She could barely hear her customers (most of them were squealing nonsense and _moe_ing over her pretty eyes, so nothing special, but still…) from her loud chattering and occasional giggles. After half an hour under similar conditions, she could barely believe that only a day before she considered this girl _normal_. Even Haruhi's regular customer Itsuko Watabe, one of her friends, threw her an embarrassed glance every two sips of tea and three squeals about Haruhi-kun's good looks.

Kyoya scribbled in his notebook shaking his head slowly. This was bad. Though new customers were usually welcome, and it was definitely impolite to throw them out, he knew the current situation couldn't last very long. But it was Aki Kamimae's best friend to cause all this, and Kyoya would never risk losing one of the major sources of profit.

"She's just embarrassed" Aki noticed even Tamaki looked a little uneasy. _Or at least I hope so._

True, it was the first time Kaname entered the Host Club as a customer. She had chosen Mori, but clearly had no idea how to act around him, too busy with her insensate search for true love.

"Kana-chan!" Hunny tried to distract her "your cakes are yummy!"

"Uh… thanks… they were for Mori-senpai… Mori-senpai! There's one left!"

Mori surrendered and politely took the cream-filled small fruit basket.

"So, where was I?" his stare darkened as Kaname continued "oh, sure! I was telling you about my last holiday and…"

* * *

"Kyoya" was all Mori said after the Host Club closed that day.

"I understand" he sighed, taking the last notes in his notebook.

"We can't just throw a customer out like that" noted Tamaki.

"She's annoying as hell…" Hikaru got quickly to the point "and I'm sure it does Mori-senpai no good."

"Poor Takashi" Hunny loved the delicious desserts Kaname made, but he was worried about his cousin, obviously tired out by her.

"We can't afford losing Princess Kamimae" concluded Kyoya "Mori-senpai! Do you think you could take another afternoon?"

Mori stared at him for a moment, then slowly nodded. He was too polite to simply tell a girl to shut up, or show her how she annoyed him.

* * *

Next day, at about half past 3 PM, the Host Club was lively and full of delighted customers again. Kaname wasn't chatting non-stop like the previous time, now she altered between bright smiles and embarrassed blushes, occasionally chuckling like a five year-old. It was horrible even to watch, as all the other customers of Mori or Hunny sitting around them clearly considered her a complete idiot. Only Hunny helped her a little, by telling her how delicious the cakes she brought were.

"I-I made them myself…" she stared at the rug on the pavement "oh, I am such a fool! I said that yesterday already, didn't I, Mori-senpai? Ha ha ha!" she broke into a forced laughter, and locked her arm under Mori's. He let her do so, though he stiffened a little. Hunny licked up the cake and smiled at the two of them.

"Mitsukuni" Mori get her arm off his gently but firmly "let me help."

He took a napkin and wiped the cream from Hunny's face, making all of the girls squeal and Kaname blushing even deeper. As soon as Mori had finished, her arm was locked within his again. His face remained still; the other girls exchanged annoyed looks.

_At least it's slightly better than yesterday_, thought Haruhi, picking up the teapot.

"Better than yesterday, isn't it, Haruhi?" Kyoya closed his notebook and gave her one of his cryptic smiles. He had read her mind again.

* * *

Luckily, at least for Mori, the weekend came, and the two days passed without his nerves getting seriously tested. He knew, however, that on Monday Kaname Kinishi was scheduled to come again.

But on that Monday, an unexpected event took place as well.

Shortly before 3 PM, Yasuchika Haninozuka decided to pay a "visit" to his brother – that is, fight him. It didn't matter to Kyoya, as long as they didn't do it in front of the customers, and, as they haven't arrived yet, there was no such risk; the hallway seemed deserted too.

The arrival of Yasuchika, and his defeat within two minutes (this time without the use of shuriken, though), inevitably led to another middle-schooler showing up.

Exactly as the clock struck three and Haruhi arrived panting at the door of the Third Music Room, that annoying voice was heard.

"YASUCHIKA! No skipping out on karate club!" Satoshi Morinozuka's shinai almost struck the already defeated and hurt Chika's head fully when he suddenly noticed Mori looking at him.

"Aheheh… hey, Taka! How are you today?" he blushed deeply and lowered his shinai. Chika sighed in relief, but still eyed Hunny with anger.

"Mitsukuni…" mumbled Chika "you have won this time, but the next one… I'll show you how it feels to be completely defeated… next time I'll beat you into the-ouch!"

"That's no way to talk to your brother!"

"Stupid Satoshi, cut it out!"

The argument was interrupted by a loud _splat_.

Kaname stood frozen, her small white paper box, in which she usually brought the cakes, crushed on the ground with some dots of cream lying around it. A ruined pile of sweets, probably.

"Oh! I'm so sorry! I… I must have interrupted something! I…"

"Kana-chan, the cakes!" Hunny immediately went to see the damage.

"Tsk." Chika's glasses flashed as Satoshi let him go for a second.

By then, some other customers began to appear at the end of the corridor.

"Whee! There's one safe!" Hunny picked a miraculously intact cream-filled fruit basket from Kaname's box.

"Why, good afternoon, Princess Kaname Kinishi!" Tamaki smiled brightly "yes, no mistake, the club is already open…"

"Aaand, Yasuchika, as I was saying…" Satoshi grasped Chika again, waving Mori goodbye "there's karate club!"

They left within a minute; Chika wasn't too keen about having Hunny's fangirls comparing him to his brother again, something that always came his way whenever he showed up anywhere near the Host Club.

* * *

"Oh, so that was your little brother, Mori-senpai?"

"Hn."

"And yours too, Hunny-senpai?"

"Yes, it was Chika-chan!"

"Oh, sweet! I have no siblings and…" Kaname's insensate chattering started again.

_I have the weird feeling she's trying the right technique with the wrong Morinozuka brother_, thought Haruhi, and smiled. _What a crazy thought. Anyway, this is no way of gaining Mori-senpai's affection._

Soon Kaname locked her arm within Mori's again, but this time, her removed it almost immediately, and looked into her eyes intensely.

"Mori-senpai?" she tilted her head.

"Please don't."

She looked away for a moment. Nobody saw her eyes fill with tears.

"Uh, I'm sorry…" she forced a small chuckle again "I… I got something in my eye, I need to go…"

A few seconds after she exited, a loud banging noise was heard from outside.

"Don't worry, she's just probably banging her head into the wall." Aki picked up her cup.

_How can she be so cold? Aren't they best friends?_ Haruhi glanced a little incredulous at Princess Kamimae.

"Augh, Tamaki! This tea! I said two and a half teaspoons of sugar, not _three_!"

* * *

During the next week, Kaname didn't show up at the host club. She sought refuge in romance novels and shojo mangas again, but didn't spend her days angsting. Why wasn't true love coming her way?

_Maybe I should go again. They must have forgotten about it already, right? And this time, success is sure…_

"…right, Aki?"

"My dear Kaname, you won't get a guy fall for you because of some pebble in your pocket."

"It's not some pebble! It's a rose quartz! It is said to attract looove!" she smiled brightly.

"Just talk a little less."

"I'll try."

* * *

Another week passed, and, though Kaname spoke less, Mori still didn't seem to prove anything special for her, but Hunny was happy to see her, mostly because of her cakes, though. It was then that Aki decided it was time for something drastic. And anyway, it wasn't for Kaname, as she had been planning this for quite some time now.

"Princess Kamimae!" Tamaki welcomed her "I…"

"I need to talk to Kyoya Ohtori first, today."

"Hmm… I'm not sure…" in a corner of the Third Music Room, Kyoya scribbled in his notebook with Princess Kamimae sitting in front of her.

"Then what about… this?" Aki placed her golden credit card on the table.

"Seems like it's a deal then…"

"This weekend?"

"This weekend."

The deal was made.

* * *

**Well, I hope you enjoyed Chapter One. Constructive criticism, observations and reviews welcome.**


	3. Aquamarine

**Weird. A lot of people read my parodies, and almost no one cares to take a look at my normal stories... oh well.

* * *

**

**Chapter Two – Aquamarine**

Haruhi smiled at her customers, all squealing about how nice she looked, and how pretty her eyes were, so, basically, just the usual. But in the end, those girls were all so sweet!

Strangely enough, Aki and her group didn't show up that day. Mori looked a little more relaxed, though Hunny at first seemed disappointed that he was to miss Kaname's delicious fruitcakes.

"I hope Kana-chan will bring me more cakes next Monday" he said, taking a bite of the chocolate cake in front of him "I love them!"

"She most likely will" smiled Kyoya, almost casually passing by "she appointed _you_ as her host for next Tuesday."

_Kanako syndrome?_ thought Haruhi, _will Kinishi-san switch hosts like she did?_

Mori looked up at Kyoya, somewhat puzzled, for he remembered that on Monday _he_ was the one Kaname chose. At least, for some reason she stopped chattering constantly or locking her arm under his without permission, but it seemed still clear _he_ was the one she liked, not Hunny. But in the end, few girls could resist Hunny's cuteness…

* * *

It was Friday. Haruhi stayed in the Third Music Room for a while after the others left, to finish her homework; she had the key, after all. But, when she closed the door, she was instantly grabbed by Hikaru and Kaoru, in a way that horribly reminded her of the day when she was dragged to Kyoya's artificial beach.

"Target…"

"…captured!"

"What?! Where are we going…"

"To the beach!"

"Again?!"

"And don't worry" Kyoya lowered the window of the limousine "I asked Ranka-san to only pack boys' clothes for you, and, though he seemed a little reluctant, he eventually agreed."

"B-but why?!" Haruhi couldn't find a proper reason for her wearing boys' clothes all along, even if some customers were around. She could still recall the adoring looks when she showed up in a little pink dress, or the twins trying to get her in a bikini. And besides…

Another limo approached, but Haruhi didn't care, thinking it was probably just there to wait for some rich kid after class.

"Aren't we going to send the customers home in the evening?!" she asked, in vain struggling with the twins to let her go.

"My, my, Haruhi-kun… wouldn't it be rude to send _the owner of the seaside mansion_ away?" she heard a voice as a window lowered on the backseat of the other limo.

"What the-?" Haruhi was thrown inside the car, and the twins jumped in after her.

There she found herself facing Tamaki, Hunny and Mori.

"Yes, Haruhi, I made a deal with Princess Kamimae" said Kyoya, intent on scribbling in his notebook "and it seems like she _rented us out_ for a weekend at her seaside mansion."

"WHAT?! I didn't know the Host Club was for rent!"

"It isn't" Kyoya still didn't look up "it was her idea, but, you know, we need some more money not to go bankrupt, as the recent cosplays used up nearly all our budget."

"And why was it once again _me_ the last person to know?!" asked Haruhi, still quite furious.

The others exchanged knowing looks, but Kyoya said it:

"If we told you, you would have refused, faked an illness, anything, Princess Watabe would have been disappointed, and Princess Kamimae would have gone angry."

True. Haruhi lowered her head, fuming silently.

"Haru-chan!" Hunny's cheerful voice made her look up "it's going to be fun!"

Mori just nodded.

"So… what are we to do all weekend?" asked Haruhi, finally resigning "hosting non-stop?"

"Have fun at the beach with five lovely customers, eat exquisite foods at the Kamimae seaside mansion, and sleep in comfortable, large guest-rooms. Nothing else scheduled."

_Exquisite foods_, wondered Haruhi. _Will there be any ootoro?

* * *

_

They reached the seaside mansion early in the evening. The five girls welcomed them happily, and soon they all walked down to the beach in light clothing, though not swimwear, as it wasn't time for swimming or sunbathing any more.

Hikaru and Kaoru messed up their hair to make Orimi squeal and blush as she tried to distinguish them; Haruhi preferred not to intervene. Aki lightly lay her arm on Tamaki's on one side, while Riyoka held on to the other like a life line. The Host Club King rewarded them with his brightest smile. Itsuko took Haruhi's hand.

"Oh, Haruhi-kun, your hand is almost like a girl's!" and she held it tighter "I can't wait to see you tomorrow in your swimwear!"

"Oh…" Haruhi realised it would be hard to keep up the thing all weekend "I'm sorry, but I don't think I'll swim."

"Why not?" Itsuko asked.

"I prefer to watch _you_, beautiful girls, in your full glory than walking among you…" this was the best that suddenly came to her mind, but it made Istuko squeal nonetheless.

It was only then that Haruhi noticed she couldn't hear Kaname's insensate chattering. She turned around to look for her: she was walking in silence (shocking enough!), patiently carrying Hunny's small bunny-patterned bucket.

"Can't wait to collect shells, wheee!" Hunny laughed.

"Kana-chan, Kana-chan!" Hunny placed the first shell he found in the bucket "will you make one of your cakes for us today?"

"Uh? Haven't thought about that… um… maybe…" Kaname said, a bit distracted by the first stars appearing, or, rather, by Mori sitting not too far from them, trying to find some more shells for Hunny.

"Ooh, sunset at the seaside! Oh, myyy!" a fainting Riyoka had to be held up by Tamaki.

"Don't let go, my princess, and miss the sight I want to share with you!"

Now _this_ definitely made Riyoka faint.

It soon got dark, but Hunny returned to the mansion with his bucket half full.

* * *

That evening, the boys were all assigned single guest rooms (except for the twins, they got a double one) on a second-floor corridor, while the girls all slept on the third floor. Little did they know this kind of separation and a foolish round of Truth or Dare was to bring along one of the most horrible "accidents" in history; though not on the first night, at least.

Saturday was bright and sunny, and, of course, very hot on the beautiful sandy beach. Haruhi sat under the beach-umbrella in a T-shirt and shorts all the time, and in the end the girls gave up on trying to drag her out. Instead, Itsuko sat beside her to look into her pretty eyes and have some chat.

"Taaamakiii!" Aki shouted, almost with impatience.

"Right there, my princess!" he immediately walked up to her, and handed her a glass of icy lime juice.

"Oh! Maybe… some for me, too…" mumbled Riyoka, insecure as usual.

"Sure thing, my princess…"

"Try not to drop the glass…" Aki smiled kindly.

The twins were busy playing ball in the water with an extremely happy Orimi, while Kyoya filled up about 7 and a half pages of his notebook that day.

And Kaname? She, her usually loose hair tied back, patiently collected shells with Hunny the whole day, occasionally taking a short bath with him. The moments she smiled the most and blushed were, nonetheless, the ones when she handed a full bucket to Mori, and two or three times their fingers even touched slightly.

_To conquer a boy's heart, be sure to be in good terms with his best friends!_

At least, that's what some girls' magazine said, if Kaname remembered well. And, anyhow, Hunny was adorable, so spending time with him didn't bother her at all.

"Kana-chan!" he laughed happily each time she brought him a pretty shell.

She liked that nickname, she decided. She liked Hunny too. But Mori was the one who appeared in her dreams nonetheless, since, despite being older than her, Hunny was… well, just like a kid to her. To fall for Mori seemed much more _right_.

In Kaname's mind and heart, this could have gone on forever, if the night never happened. But soon evening came…


	4. Obsidian

**Hope you enjoy! And remember: nothing is what it seems...

* * *

**

**Chapter Three – Obsidian**

"Kana-chan, Kana-chan!" Hunny jumped up and down happily as they made their way to the dining room "will there be cake?"

"Yes!" Kaname smiled brightly, as she made sure to have one of her gorgeous fruitcakes ready in the fridge "and I made it only for you!"

Hunny laughed and, after a brief moment of wondering, handed her his bunny. Then she took her hand, making her run with him to get to the cake as early as possible. Mori looked after them, stoic as always.

_No ootoro again_, Haruhi thought a little sadly. The other exquisite foods Aki got ready made her almost forget it, however.

The day at the sea really tired her out; and, after dinner, despite Itsuko fussing over her to go for a walk on the moonlit beach, she decided to go to bed.

"But then it won't be fun with Itsuko being so sad!" Aki sighed, after Haruhi excused herself and left "okay girls, I guess it's time for us to go as well!"

Kaname gave Bun-Bun back to his rightful owner before waving goodbye.

It was 11 PM. But the night was far from over, especially for Kaname.

* * *

"Okay girls… what about Truth or Dare?" asked Aki, putting her diamond-encased cell phone in the middle of their circle.

The five girls had connecting rooms, now they were all in Aki's, the middle one, of course.

With Truth o Dare, time flew very fast. Before they knew it, it was half past midnight. Mainly because everyone picked truth, and spent more than 15 minutes talking about how very much in love they were with their host of choice. Luckily, Kaname never got there.

She thought about Mori. Sure, she felt attracted to him. But then again, Hunny was so cute and adorable…

"Kaname!"

_Mori or Hunny?_

"Kaname!"

_Mori was so handsome… and Hunny… he was always so kind…_

"KANAME! Wake up already!" Aki pulled her sleeve.

To her horror, the mobile phone was pointing right at her.

"Oookay… truth or… dare?"

By the look on the others' faces, she could clearly see that they were dying to know which host she loved: Mori or Hunny?

Before she knew it, she had picked.

"Dare."

Silence fell. A second later, everyone came up with one silly suggestion after another.

"Go downstairs, knock on Tamaki's door and tell him you love him!"

"Nooo, better go and wake up the twins to play _which one is Hikaru-kun_!"

"No, no, no! Drag Haruhi here instead!"

"Quiet, you" Aki stood up "let's not be evil. I have the perfect dare for you… _Kana-chan_."

_Oh dear, will I have to get into Mori's room? Or… Hunny's?!_

"Go downstairs…"

_Oh, no… why did I pick Dare???!!! _

"…find the sixth bathroom…ˇ

_Why…?_

"…and bring here the packet of condoms from the cabinet!"

Silence fell again.

"AKI! Why would you need that?!" Kaname blushed.

"Well, isn't it daring to walk on a corridor with guys that could come out any moment and get a packet of condoms?"

Kaname cursed loudly, and walked out.

"That corridor is long!" Aki shouted after her "we give you 45 minutes!"

"But what'll we do?" Riyoka asked, looking around confused.

"Never worry…" Aki got some more tea for them "so, what were you saying about Tamaki-sama?"

* * *

_Sheesh, this is the longest corridor I've ever seen…_

Kaname stood there, wondering on which side the bathrooms were. For accidentally entering a host's room wasn't the best idea, of course.

Walking slowly, she noticed light coming from under a door. That had to be a guest room, probably somebody was reading. Soon it went off.

She opened a door on the other side, and found a bathroom. But there weren't condoms in the cabinet.

_Of course, this one is just the first bathroom…_

The infamous sixth bathroom was nearly at the end of the corridor. Upon reaching it, Kaname nearly fell over into an obsidian statue on the side, between two doors.

_Obsidian, just great. Perfect for falling over at night, as it's just as pitch black! Aki could have got it done from white marble, but no. It had to be obsidian._

She entered the bathroom, and found what she was looking for very soon. She sat down on the side of the bath, when an idea came to her.

_Haha, I'll play a joke on them!_

She took one of the condoms out, and decided she'll toss it out of the window, so that no one will find it.

_They'll notice one is missing, and will think…_

Kaname giggled.

_It'll be fun!_

But just as she exited, she obviously ran into that cursed obsidian statue and fell over, right against a door.

_THUD._

She knelt there and cursed, rubbing her sore shoulder, the packet in one hand, the single condom in the other.

The next moment, the door swung open…

* * *

"It's 20 minutes… she'll be here soon…" Aki looked at the clock.

* * *

Kaname never called him by his first name. But now it felt so natural.

"Takashi…"

Mori looked down at her, then, since the light was on in his room, he rose an eyebrow.

"What is it, Takashi? Why are you looking at me like that?"

Then she realized.

_I'm wearing only a nightgown, and I'm kneeling right in front of his door in the middle of the night with a packet of condoms in hand! Oh, no, no, no… NO!

* * *

_

"25 minutes…" Aki mumbled.

* * *

"Takashi, no…" Kaname shook her head.

* * *

"40 minutes…" Aki began to get a little worried.

Just as the 45 minutes were over, Kaname entered the room. She looked very much upset, and also a little sad.

"We were sooo worried!" Riyoka jumped at her.

"Here's your stupid condoms!" Kaname pushed Riyoka off her and angrily tossed the packet to Aki.

"What's wrong?" she tilted her head.

Suddenly, tears appeared in Kaname's eyes.

"Kaname…?"

"Leave me alone!" she burst into tears, and ran to her room, locking the door.

"Kaname! KANAME!"

"Hey girls… why is one missing…?" Aki looked at the packet "you… you didn't! No way! You didn't…!!!"

* * *

Kaname stayed in her room the next day. Even Hunny's pleas for her to go and collect shells didn't help.

She and Mori met only once, in the evening, when they were all ready to go. She blushed furiously, and looked extremely sad and upset. Mori, shockingly enough, showed expression too: he seemed slightly sorry for something too. But no word was said. For the next week, Kaname cancelled all her reservations in the Host Club.

But what happened that night? Aki was determined to find out...


	5. Lepidolite

**Chapter Four – Lepidolite**

Kaname needed luck, for Aki, after asking her what happened that night (read: put her under such a straining interrogatory that it would make Scotland Yard pale), came up with the solution: she had to talk to Mori.

Back to that night, of course nothing special happened. She didn't enter Mori's room, they never put the condom to use, like everybody thought. She basically just ran away crying, for Mori obviously thought she went all the way down to make love to him. She even called him "Takashi"! Sheesh. It took so long because he went into the first bathroom to calm her nerves, and in the end simply dumped the condom into the litter bin.

* * *

It was Friday, and Kaname didn't show up at the Host Club as she didn't whole week. Hunny missed her sweet cakes a lot.

However, she got to know that the kendo club had practice later that afternoon – and she decided to talk to Mori when it was over. She waited patiently outside the dojo, entertaining herself with thinkng over the whole situation. She was worried, but tried not to let it out.

After some time, the kendo club's members all exited. In the end, when she saw a tall figure appearing in the doorway, she instantly ran up to him.

"Takashi!"

He stopped and looked at her.

"I mean… Mori-senpai!" she blushed "I… I… I…"

Mori rose an eyebrow, then looked back into the dojo. Only Satoshi was there, still practicing with his shinai.

"I'm going to collect Mitsukuni. I'll be back." Mori said.

"Okay!" Satoshi waved cheerfully "I'll get ready by then, too!"

"Mori-senpai!"

He looked at Kaname again.

"I…" she couldn't utter a word.

Mori gently put a hand on her head.

_Am I forgiven?_

But he quickly removed it, and walked past her, back to the school buliding to find Hunny.

Kaname couldn't decide if it was success or not, and couldn't figure out what to do, but Satoshi's voice woke her up.

"Kagome-san!"

"It's _Kaname_" she said, looking at him and stepping into the dojo. After all, Mori was to come back, and what was wrong in sitting there? Maybe she could say she was interested in martial arts, gain bonus point with him and…

"Take your shoes off, please!"

"Oh… sure…" she did as she was told, then sat on a bench inside.

Satoshi couldn't figure out what this girl was doing there. Watching _him_, maybe? And why did she enter in the first place?

"When is Mori-senpai coming back?"

_Another fangirl_, Satoshi thought.

"Oh, Taka will be back in like, 5 or 10 minutes, he went to fetch Mitsukuni and then we'll all go home together, Yasuchika is already home as there isn't karate club today, but Mitsukuni stayed due to some extra math classes and…"

While talking, Satoshi kept on hitting the air with his shinai.

_What a chatterbox…_ Kaname sighed deeply and looked at the boy with a blank stare. He annoyed her a little.

"Kaname-saaan!" he stopped after a while.

"Yes?"

"Do you want to try?"

"Try what?"

"Well, you were looking so interestedly at my shinai that I thought…"

"Oh… no! I just…"

_If Mori-senpai sees me branding a shinai like a pro, he'll fall for me…_

"Sure!" she smiled and walked up to Satoshi. Her school uniform wasn't the best thing to wear to practice kendo, but she didn't mind.

"So… hold the shinai straight… like this…" Satoshi stood behind her to help her. Kaname found out kendo consisted of much more than whacking the air with a shinai, which, mind you, wasn't even that light. She regretted her idea, but now there was no way back.

"Now" Satoshi stood in front of her "try to lower it and…"

The next moment, Kaname's breathing hitched, and her heartbeat increased. She remembered what that psychologist said when she was diagnosed with severe arachnophobia: that it would happen whenever she saw a…

"YIKES! A SPIDER!!!" she screamed seeing a completely harmless little one hanging from the ceiling.

"What, where…?" Satoshi turned around, exactly missing a direct hit from the shinai, as Kaname seemed determined to get rid of the poor animal.

"I'LL KILL YOU! GET AWAY!!!"

"Wait, hold it!" Satoshi tried to calm her down "ow!" she hit his shoulder with the shinai, but didn't notice, as she kept on swinging it towards the spider.

"Hold it! Stop!" Satoshi grasped Kaname's shoulders to stop her, but accidentally tripped in her dress and…

In the end, the sight that welcomed Mori as he arrived to the dojo with Hunny on his shoulders was the following: Satoshi lying on Kaname on the floor, both panting.

"Satoshi-kun? Kana-chan?" asked Hunny, pretty incredulous.

"Oh… Taka! This isn't what it looks like!" Satoshi went crimson red.

"No way!" Kaname added.

Mori rose an eyebrow.

"Satoshi."

"Oh!" he stood up "Kaname-san, here…"

He helped her getting up.

Kaname looked at Mori, then it dawned on her.

_What the hell? No, not again! Why, why always in front of HIM?!_

She quickly put her shoes back, then covered her face and ran off.

"I'm sorry!"

_Why do I always ruin my life?!_

"Satoshi, I told you to get ready."

"Taka! Just a minute!"

* * *

After Satoshi dressed and got ready to close the dojo, he noticed something shiny on the floor. Picking it up, he found it was a thin bracelet made of light violet stones, lepidolite, to be precise, though he couldn't know.

_I'll have to return it to Kaname-san…_


	6. Moss Agate

**I hope you enjoy this, sorry if it's short, it's more like a transition chapter. That's the reason for "Moss Agate", a stone of harmony and change.**

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* * *

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**Chapter Five – Moss Agate**

_I can't believe it! Silly kid!_ Kaname stormed home already angry at the whole situation, but especially at that annoying Satoshi. When she noticed her bracelet was missing she went even more nervous. It didn't matter it was _her_ who overreacted upon seeing that poor harmless spider; she lost one of her favourite jewels, had a boy she already disliked lying on top of her, and, for a perfect conclusion, she was seen by Hunny… wait. _Mori!_ Of course she meant Mori, not Hunny…

The next day, shortly after breakfast, the bell rang at the Kinishi mansion.

"Miss Kaname?" the butler knocked on her door "someone is here to see you."

"Who? Aki?" Kaname asked, as her best friend had a habit of showing up unexpectedly.

"No, it's not Miss Kamimae. It's a boy."

"A boy? Oh… let him enter" this wasn't something she was used to. Usually no boys showed up randomly, wanting to see her. But she didn't mind: she was wearing a light blue dress, so she didn't look awful, at least.

"Kana-chan!" she recognized the voice immediately.

"Hunny-senpai!" she smiled brightly "what are you doing here?"

"I just wanted to return this to you!" he held up the thin lepidolite bracelet with one hand, as he was clutching Bun-Bun with the other, of course.

"But…"

"Satoshi-kun found it, and gave it to Takashi in the car! But I decided I'll return it!"

"Hunny-senpai! How come…? Oh! I see. I'm gonna check if there's any fruitcake left from yesterday. Come!"

* * *

Hunny happily followed her to the dining room.

"Here, it has strawberry, banana and kiwi" Kaname decided to fetch the cake herself; there was no need of the waiters.

_He's so nice_, she thought as she watched him happily munching away on her creation.

_She's so nice_, he thought. And moreover, she was the only customer, apart from Reiko (but then again, she was another subject, and by now they were just good friends), Hunny hadn't yet hear screaming "KAWAII" upon seeing him. Not that he was unhappy in being the classic, adorable loli-shota. It was just unusual – and, though he would never admit it, he was somehow happy about it.

Kaname looked at his shiny blonde locks, probably freshly washed. What a pretty boy he was… cute, yes, but still handsome. She would have loved to touch that probably soft hair…

"Kana-chan!"

"Oh! What?" she was too absorbed in her thoughts to notice he had finished.

_Oh, he probably wants some more…_

"Um, I'm afraid that was all that was left…"

"No, no!" he shook his head "you haven't even touched yours! Are you okay, Kana-chan?"

"Oh!" she looked down at her plate "um… well, I had breakfast not so long ago… Hunny-senpai… you can have it!"

"Really?" his eyes lit up "but, um… you sure?"

"Yes" she smiled at him.

"Yay! Thanks!"

Soon all the cake was gone.

Kaname lost herself in her thoughts.

"Kana-chan!" she was awoken once again.

"Hunny-senpai…?"

"It's time for me and Bun-Bun to go home, we're sorry we stayed so much!"

"Oh. Never mind! In fact I… I was glad."

"Yes, we gave back your bracelet!" Hunny smiled at her.

"No… also glad… to see you…"

_Gack! I can't believe I said that!_

She blushed, but Hunny seemed not to notice.

"Goodbye, Kana-chan! See you at the club!"

"Goodbye, Hunny-senpai! Thanks!"

"…Hunny-senpai…" she whispered, then smiled "…Mitsukuni."

* * *

On Monday, she seeked out Kyoya in the morning, and moved all her reservations with Mori over to Hunny. She liked him, he was so sweet and kind… but that was all. Or... was it really?


	7. Sugilite

**Time for Reiko to make an appearance, and another Satoshi cameo! Oh, and about the "movie" part - one of the last special manga chapters is rumoured to treat exactly that subject.**

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* * *

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**Chapter Six – Sugilite**

Kaname, with a triple portion of fruitcake in a large white paper box, walked happily, almost dancing towards the Third Music Room, her friends could hardly keep up the pace. With the sole exception of Aki, of course, who didn't even mind to run, as she knew the others would let her enter first anyway. She once again had brought enough money to pay for any extra services the hosts were to give, and to make Kyoya happy for the next 24 hours. But Aki didn't really care about _him_, as she, the Queen, would request the Host Club's King's company, as always.

* * *

"Hunny-senpai" as they entered, Kaname immediately took a seat at his table, with Mori watching over them, as usual "look what I baked you!"

Hunny was delighted to see the huge fruitcake; in the end, even Mori agreed to taste it. The friction between him and Kaname seemed gone; though she still blushed slightly whenever meeting his stare, he had probably decided to throw a veil upon those awkward moments of the night, his little brother apparently trying it with her, and her impossible behavior on the first days.

"Look, Hunny!" Kaname pulled up her sleeve to show a bracelet of shiny dark purple stones "nice colour, right?"

"It looks like candy!"

"Well… maybe. Actually, it's sugilite, and though I wear it just as plain jewelry, it should help releasing anger and guilt, and they say wearing it…"

"A curse, I see…" a spectral female voice was heard; Kaname's blood froze.

She slowly turned around to see a short girl with jet black hair staring at her with huge dark eyes. They were beautiful, but indeed very scary.

"Oh, hi, Reiko!" Hunny continued eating cake as if her presence was perfectly normal.

"Uh… you know her?"

"Why, sure! She's Kanazuki Reiko-chan!"

"Um… hi…?" Kaname tried to approach her cautiously.

"Are you cursing him?"

"Uh…?"

"I repeat: with those stones, are you cursing him?"

"What…?!"

Reiko sighed and looked at Kaname as if she was some dummy, thus making it completely worthless talking to her.

"Haninozuka, remember, last time we were discussing going to the movies…"

_What?! Is she… is she…_

Kaname threw herself heavily against the back of the chair, but only Mori seemed to notice, slightly arching an eyebrow.

… _she… she… SHE'S HUNNY'S GIRLFRIEND!_

As soon as she somewhat regained her composure, about six or seven minutes later, she placed a hand on Reiko's shoulder. With the most caution, obviously, fearing she would freeze or turn into stone.

"What?" Reiko threw her a killer look.

"I… I… I…" Kaname stammered. Reiko looked up at the ceiling shaking her head, then turned back to Hunny.

Kaname felt her blood boil. She clenched her fists, trying to get some courage.

"Hey!" she grasped the back of Reiko's dress, and pulled her back "my time isn't over yet!"

"Um, Kana-chan, you can both be here!" Hunny swallowed the last bite of his portion of fruitcake "here, Reiko, Kana-chan made it, have some, too!"

"No thanks" Reiko said coldly "so, um? Kana?"

Kaname felt like her eyes were staring in her soul.

"Kaname Kinishi" she said, then clenched her teeth "_very pleased_ to meet you."

Reiko slightly nodded, studying her intensely.

"Um, I guess it's late… maybe I gotta go…"

"Kana-chan, is there something wrong?" Hunny asked.

"Um… no, I… sorry!" she stood up and left in a hurry.

* * *

The next day, Kaname reached the Third Music Room at about half past two, a box of fruitcake in hand, of course. Unfortunately, she ran into Reiko Kanazuki waiting for her.

"Kaname-san" she said simply.

"Y-yes?"

Reiko just held up a dark blue candle. It had _Kaname Kinishi_ carved in it, probably with a needle.

"What… is… that?!"

"A curse… a curse which will ensure you will not try to capture Haninozuka's soul any more."

"What…?"

Reiko didn't answer, just lit the candle.

"I engraved your name on it with a needle washed in salty water…"

Kaname's eyebrows rose almost impossibly high.

"I saw you were trying to capture his soul… but your efforts will melt away with your name…"

Suddenly, Kaname's anger exploded.

"Shut up!" she blew the candle, and knocked it on the floor, where she stepped on it, crushing it to pieces of dark blue wax.

"You fool! You ruined the ritual!" Reiko screamed.

"Oh?! Better off this way, then!"

The two black-haired girls' eyes were throwing lightnings at each other.

Just as the athmosphere between them was about to reach the complete culmination of hatred, they were awoken by a voice. A voice which for Reiko meant only interruption, but for Kaname was the signal of a ruined afternoon. As if that scary girl wasn't enough!

"Kaname-san!" Satoshi Morinozuka smiled cheerfully "nice to see you!"

She growled something.

"Have you seen Yasuchika? He's half a minute late, and I wondered if he came here… oh, I see, he's not around… um… Kaname-san, anyway… sorry about last time."

"Never mind…" Kaname didn't look at him, hoping he would finally understand the message and get lost.

Reiko took her charm book out of her bag and quickly started searching through the pages.

"What are you _trying_ to do?" Kaname tried to snatch the book from her.

"Uh…? What is going on…?" Satoshi walked closer to the two.

"Oh, for heaven's sake, _get lost already_!" Kaname, in her anger, forgot what exactly she was holding, and slammed it on the floor.

_Splotch._

"Oh, my…!"

Reiko grinned; Satoshi's eyes widened.

With that scary Reiko on one side, that annoying Satoshi on the other, and a pile of ruined fruitcake in the middle, Kaname was sure this was one of the worst days of her life.


	8. Chalcedony

**This got pretty sappy, sorry. But sweet, also. Anyway, before you start wondering, this story is far from over... very far, actually. For the Hunny/Reiko fans: as for the recent chapters of Ouran, they started dating only after Hunny graduated, if they ever started at all (which I doubt); and this happens before that.

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**Thanks a lot to Zizzi, my co-writer.**

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* * *

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**Chapter Seven – Chalcedony**

"Oh, man, no way!" Kaname tried in vain to look for an intact piece inside the box.

Reiko smiled. Kaname suddenly felt her blood boling again, and threw her the ugliest look she could. Reiko rose her eyebrows, then they looked at each other, pretty determined, it seemed.

_If it's war you want_, thought Reiko.

…_then war you'll get!_ Kaname finished.

* * *

That day, at the club, Hunny had to miss Kaname's delicious fruitcakes, but, strangely, it was the last of his worries, for the two girls sitting opposite to him seemed far more interested in fighting against each other than talking to him.

"Here, I'll whisper your name inside this ornate black box… and thus darken your days."

"Oh really?! Well then, I'll fight the dark clouds off with shiny crystals!"

"If I knock three times on this black piece of wood while thinking intensely about you, you will become too weak to accomplish your dreams…"

"Oh?! I'll keep my strenght with a carnelian stone, thank you very much!"

"When I take a strand of your hair…"

"Ow! Give it back!"

"…and burn it in the flame of a black candle…"

"Ack! Do you _always_ keep such things with you?!"

"…your luck will abandon you forever, and…"

"I'll keep it with a tiger's eye stone!"

"Um, Kana-chan, Reiko!"

"What?!" they stared at Hunny as if he was Satoshi.

He pulled back and hid behind his Usa-chan.

"I think it's time to act…" Kyoya was tired of scribbling in his notebook.

"Leave them be…" Aki smiled and showed up her credit card. He immediately sat back, smiling.

"Oooh, a fight over Hunny-senpai!" Renge already had too many ideas for her new doujinshi.

* * *

That afternoon, Reiko had to leave a little earlier than Kaname. As soon as she exited, of course searching for curses in a large black book, Kaname let out a puff of air and smiled a little sadly at Hunny.

"Sorry to say that, but you have such a weird girlfriend."

Hunny smiled back at her.

"She's not my girlfriend! I'm just tying to help her socialize."

With those words, suddenly Kaname's world seemed to light up. Her eyes began shining like stars.

"All is well that ends well" Aki took a sip of her tea.

Too bad it wasn't over yet.

* * *

In the next few days, Reiko simply couldn't decipher Kaname's weird behavior. She could wave cards, burn candles, throw Bereznoff on her path: nothing worked. She seemed completely oblivious and immune to any curse, and provoking her didn't work either. But the truth was, Kaname was more concerned about her own welfare than Reiko possibly dating Hunny, as that could still develop, and pretty soon, she thought. So she kept a light blue chalcedony stone in her pocket, which was said to protect against evil spells.

"Kinishi-san!"

"Yes, Kanazuki-san?" Kaname turned to her on an early afternoon; the Host Club had really few guests that day, the two of them were the last ones.

"I'll have patience."

"Oh? Why would you need that?"

"To see what I can do to stop you from capturing Haninozuka's soul."

Kaname sighed as she almost unconsciously took out the chalcedony and began to distractedly play with it.

"Um, Kanazuki-san… really…"

"I have the symbol of patience with me!"

"What…?"

"Wait a second… she won't bite me…" Reiko started to search in her bag, and Kaname heard something like a jar opening.

_A snake? A hamster? Maybe a rat? But why would that be a symbol of patience?_

But Kaname was not prepared for what was to come next.

"Here she is!"

The chalcedony fell on the floor and rolled away. Kaname's eyes widened, her pupils shrunk. Her heartbeat increased.

_This… this is nothing like ever before…_

She tried to scream, but couldn't. Her throat felt dry.

"Ah… ah… ack…" she began to back away from the huge _black widow_ Reiko held so calmly as if it was a harmless little ladybug or similar.

Kaname's back hit the wall.

"No… please no…" she slid down to the floor as her eyes filled with tears. Her panic attack just grew.

Even Reiko didn't expect such a violent reaction. She looked surprised.

"What…? A spider… the symbol of patience…" she took a shy step closer as the black widow descended to her other hand, hanging from a strand of her silk.

"No… no…" Kaname covered her eyes.

"Kana-chan!"

"Haninozuka, what…"

Hunny ran past Reiko.

"Kana-chan! Kana-chan!"

Kaname could hear Hunny's voice fading and going off as she passed out.

* * *

"What…" Kaname opened her eyes to find she was in a bed. As she rubbed her eyes and looked up at the ceiling, she also realized it was the school's nursery.

She felt something unusually soft in her hand, and noticed she had Bun-Bun safely tucked under her arm.

"Mitsukuni…" she slowly caressed one of the stuffed toy's ears.

Finally she sat up, and found out Hunny was peacefully sleeping in the canopy bed right next to hers. After all, it was time for his afternoon nap…

She was still a little in shock. In all her life, she had never been so close to a dangerous spider. And her severe arachnophobia… it didn't matter that Reiko had found her weakness, she didn't even worry about that undiscussed fact at the moment. She was just relieved she was safe.

"Kana-chan…" came a sleepy voice.

"Mitsu… uh, I mean, Hunny-senpai! You're awake!"

"Yes…" he rubbed one of his eyes and got up "are you okay?"

"Thank you… I'm fine" she got the cover off herself and put back her shoes "here's Bun-Bun."

Hunny rubbed his face against his bunny's, smiling happily as always. Then he walked over and sat beside Kaname on the bed.

Silence fell. Yet, somehow, it didn't feel awkward at all. Happy and quiet, rather. They just smiled at each other as, perhaps unnoticed, their hands touched, then, in a few seconds, their fingers intertwined. Perhaps they were still in a daze; perhaps it was unconscious too: truth is, very soon they leant closer to each other.


	9. Garnet

**Okay, my dear readers. I have several favorites and alerts on this story, but only two of you give me reviews, which I prefer above everything else. Though I really appreciate favorites and story alerts, it is the detailed reviews that really keep me going. So, please, give me a review, if you care about this story. Thank you.**

**Oh, and thanks again to my co-writer Zizzi, thanks to whom this story isn§t a complete mess.

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**Chapter Eight – Garnet**

That evening, at home, Kaname searched frantically through her minerals (and, given that she had a room full of them, it took quite a bit of time) until she found what she was looking for: a pendant with a dark red stone, a garnet, to be precise.

"Well, this should boost my self-confidence and attract love… and also help me to love myself, and accept all this" she sighed as she put it on.

For it all seemed so surreal. In romance novels, they kiss and live happily ever after. The girl feels like she's in heaven. But… what was that in the nurse's office? As they sat on the bed, and their lips met? It wasn't bad. But not even that good. No butterflies in her stomach, nothing, nothing at all… and not because she didn't like Hunny, or he was a bad kisser, or she was still scared stiff of that black widow, should that Reiko girl go to hell. But maybe… she had never been in love before, maybe it was just new to her.

_Yes… that must be it. Mistukuni…_

She smiled as she turned the light off, still wearing the garnet. She dreamt of Hunny that night, too bad she couldn't remember much more when she woke up.

"Miss Kaname, the chauffeur's ready to take you to school!"

"Oh! Thank you" she smiled at the butler as she ran down the stairs, for she was late as usual.

But as she sat in the limo, she had an idea. She asked the chauffeur to call for his assistant, and bring something special to the school that afternoon.

"I'll be going home on my own, I'll call you if there's any trouble!"

* * *

"Kana-chan!"

"Hunny-senpai!"

He jumped at her and hugged her tightly as she entered the Host Club after 3 PM. She brought fruitcake, of course; and Reiko wasn't yet there, thank goodness.

Strangely, Reiko didn't show up all afternoon. Kaname normally wouldn't mind, but she was quite worried that she might be hiding somewhere plotting evil, possibly involving more spiders, now that she knew her weakness.

Hunny was affectionate with her, as always, but was there something more to it? She couldn't tell. She touched the garnet pendant under her dress, and smiled slightly. She liked him so much… and how was it in romance novels? They don't really realize for a while, then comes a passionate night and…

_Oh, yes. That must be it… sure._

"Hunny-senpai!" she asked him as the Host Club was closing "will you come with me? I'd like to show you something…"

Mori walked over. Kaname looked up at him and blushed slightly; he still had quite a lot of effect on her.

"We still have to clean up" Hunny looked around, then smiled brightly at Kaname "I'll go down in half an hour!"

Well, true; though there wasn't any special cosplay for that day, the Third Music Room was quite a mess, due to Tamaki's idea to throw confetti and cherry blossoms around.

* * *

Kaname walked down and saw that her _red Porsche Cabrio_ was there waiting for her, just as she had requested.

_Half an hour._

There was plenty of time for a practice drive, she decided.

She wasn't prepared, though, for what she saw at the corner of the school after she drove around it.

_Reiko Kanazuki_.

Neither she was prepared for somebody else running across the street when she finally noticed the other girl.

_Yasuchika Haninozuka, with Satoshi Morinozuka at his heels._

"I had to miss Haninozuka's company… but this took some time to make…" Reiko said in a spectral voice as she held up a small voodoo doll with black hair like Kaname's, and slowly stuck a needle into it…

"What the hell?! What are you trying to…" Kaname shouted out of the car, he eyes widening.

For a split second she forgot to look at the street.

"Watch out!"

"What…? Oh, my!" she stepped on the brake with full force, and violently turned the wheel, ending up against a curb.

"You killed him!"

"What…?" she jumped out of the car to see Satoshi lying on the ground right in front of it.

Kaname and Chika both knelt down beside him.

Though Chika never showed it, the sole thought of losing Satoshi made his heart break.

"You killed him! How could you?!" he grasped Kaname's collar.

"Let me go! I didn't! And…"

"Ya…su…chi…ka!"

"Oh! Satoshi! You're ali-ow!"

"How many times have I told you not to hurt girls?"

"Um… excuse me…" Kaname was relieved Satoshi was definitely not dead, as by then he was already merrily smacking a cursing Chika with the shinai.

"Oh! Kaname-san!" he stopped for a moment "it's nothing."

"Um, sure…" she began to feel somewhat awkward "now _get out of the way_!"

_Did I dent my car?_

Unfortunately, she did.

"You…!" she pointed at Satoshi, fire burning in her eyes "it's your fault!"

"Ka-kaname-san!" he backed away "seriously, I…"

"It could only be _your_ fault, not his…" muttered Chika, who remembered quite well the day when Kaname and his brother were searching for intact fruitcake inside a white paper box lying on the ground; just another of the stupid fangirls who liked a freak like Mitsukuni.

Meanwhile, Reiko had all the time she needed to stick various needles in the voodoo doll murmuring magic curse words. And for once, it seemed to work. Though Kaname didn't feel any pain or fall to the ground to die an agonizing death, she gave a huge slap to Satoshi, got in her car and drove away angrily, exactly two minutes before Hunny arrived, holding Usa-chan.

"Reiko, where is Kana-chan?"

The girl quickly hid the voodoo doll in her bag.

"She left" she answered simply.

Hunny frowned, but in the end accompanied Reiko to the car waiting for her.

* * *

Just in time to see Haruhi giving strange looks at Kyoya, who opened the door of his limousine to let Aki Kamimae get inside.

"Princess Kamimae…"

"Oooh, Kyoya!" she smiled at him.

"I think we've got plenty to discuss" Kyoya took out his notebook as he joined her.

"You bet!" Aki laughed as the Shadow King pressed a button to make a darkened and sound-proof barrier rise between them and the chauffeur.


	10. Hematite

**The longest chapter so far! And the one I worked on the most (it was actually meant to be two chapters, but I think you had enough of interludes)! Review please!

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**Chapter Nine – Hematite**

"Hunny-senpai, look!" Kaname showed Hunny her shiny black earrings "it's hematite! Can you believe it turns red when ground?"

She could still do that cheerfully, for Reiko didn't show up… yet. Exactly three minutes later she entered, freezing nearly everyone's blood.

"Hello, Haninozuka."

"Oh, hi, Reiko!" Hunny smiled at her happily "here, have some cake!"

Reiko took some, looking at it suspiciously.

"Don't worry" said Kaname cynically "it wasn't made by me."

Reiko dared to take a bite only upon hearing this.

Hunny and the girl seemed so happy together.

_Are they dating or not?_

Though Hunny told Kaname they were "just friends", there was a lot of space for development, the girl thought. Hunny's kiss was still burning her lips; was it serious?

"Oh, Kinishi-san" Reiko said spectrally, looking at her. Most of Kaname's black hair was thrown back, except for two locks dangling before her ears, as usual.

"What?" she asked, trying not to sound scared, even as Reiko began searching in her bag, without breaking eye contact.

"Those black jewels look like curse stones to me… maybe something that will mature over time" Kaname's blood froze as she heard the jar open "but as I have said earlier, I'll have patience…"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!! Getawaygetaway… ahhh…"

"Excuse me, Kanazuki-san, but this is not allowed!" Kyoya grabbed Reiko's shoulder firmly "no dangerous animals inside the Host Club, without talking about the great distress you're causing!"

As many customers ran screaming to their host of choice and Kaname fell to the floor fainted, the Shadow King led Reiko out, along with her huge black widow she had taken to school once again.

* * *

"Phew. I can't believe this happened again!" Kaname passed a hand through her hair, as she woke up in the nurse's office like the first time, with Bun-bun tucked under her arm.

But this time, Hunny was not in the bed next to hers.

"Let's have some fresh air first, what do you say?" she caressed Bun-bun's ear.

Luckily the nurse's office opened directly outside, and, since there was plenty of time to return the precious stuffed animal to its rightful owner, Kaname sat on the steps, enjoying the soft breeze.

Too bad soon along came the second to last person (last being Reiko, of course) she would want to see, ever.

"Kaname-saaan!"

"Dear God, not again!" she tried to hide back inside, but it was too late. Satoshi Morinozuka came running, smiling at her.

"Hello!"

"What the hell do you want?!" she tried to throw him her most killer stare, until now reserved to Reiko. Too bad it didn't seem to work on the boy.

"Um, just passing by. Karate club will start soon, and I was just waiting for Yasuchika."

_Then wait for him somewhere else, fool!_

"Kaname-san, are you hurt? And doesn't that toy belong to Mitsukuni-senpai?"

_Is it any of your business, idiot?!_

"Saw a spider and felt sick, but I'm okay now. And yes, I was just about to return it to him, so I gotta go! Bye!" she stood up.

"Don't fear spiders, next time I will protect you!"

"What, _you_?!" Kaname had to laugh at this "_You_? Protecting _me_? Now _that_ was funny!"

She knew she had been cruel, but Reiko had caused enough distress to make her feel the need to let it out somehow. She turned her heels and headed back to the Host Club.

"What, Satoshi?" Chika arrived about ten seconds later "was that silly fangirl holding my brother's stupid bunny?"

His answer was a punch.

"That's no way to talk about ladies, Yasuchika!"

* * *

"I have an announcement to make to you, beautiful ladies" said Kyoya, a short while after Kaname had returned, and Hunny had told her Reiko had been banished for the day "as you may know, it's spring, which means graduation day is approaching for two of our beloved members."

The fangirls all turned teary-eyed to Hunny and Mori. Kaname's eyes widened; she seemed to be realizing it only now.

"Of course there will be a regular graduation day's celebration. But before" Kyoya smiled cryptically "thanks also to Princess Kamimae, we will be holding a special ball, a week before the official one… which means, next week, on Friday."

Almost everybody ran to Kyoya asking him to sign them up.

"Hunny-senpai! You're…"

"Leaving, yes." Hunny smiled at Kaname "but you knew this! Let's enjoy cake now!"

Later, Hunny and Kaname walked to the Kinishi family's limousine together. Nearing it, and fairly out of sight, Kaname suddenly grabbed both Hunny's hands and looked into his eyes.

"Kana-chan?"

"Mitsukuni…" she touched his cheek, but then just couldn't do it.

"Kana-chan?" he asked again, looking up at her.

She blushed, and leant closer to give him a quick peck on the lips.

"Sorry!" she had no idea why she apologized, but jumped into the car as fast as she could.

_I must be in love!_

_She's nice_. Hunny touched his lips, and held Bun-bun tighter.

* * *

At home, Kaname swiftly opened the first romance novel she found lying around and searched through the pages frantically. The girl in it found out her love was to leave the country soon, but she loved him, and had to confess and show him…

Kaname's fingers whitened as she grasped the book harder and harder, almost ripping some pages out. The lovers began to make out, then soon ended up in the bedroom…

"Oh, dear!" she threw herself on her back, then began picking at her earrings.

_Hematite. Black as the night, red as passion._

_That has to be the solution!_

Next week, Kaname, sitting with her cheerful group of friends, noticed Hunny having lunch in the company of Mori and a bunch of fangirls, with Reiko occupying the chair right next to him.

"Hello? Kaname?" Aki waved a hand in front of her face.

"Uh? What?" she awoke suddenly.

"You've already destroyed your sushi rolls to tiny pieces, shouldn't you eat them finally?"

_Black as the night, red as passion, black as the night, red as passion…_

She kept on repeating it as a mantra. Seeing how Reiko and Hunny smiled at each other… something definitely had to be done. Quickly.

The only thing she achieved, the next day, however, was splashing miso soup all over the tablecloth, as her frustration just grew.

The afternoons at the Host Club went relatively quietly, as Reiko decided to keep her curses down after the scolding from Kyoya, and Kaname, nervous as she was, preparing for the big event, preferred not to pick fights.

"Coming to the ball tonight, Kana-chan?" Hunny asked cheerfully, as the Host Club was closing.

"Yes" she sighed.

_Oh dear! It's tonight! Black as the night, red as passion, black as the night…_

"Kana-chan, are you okay?"

"What? Oh, sure! I'm fine!"

She squeezed his hand before speeding away.

* * *

That evening, Kaname put on her most elegant wampy red dress, with black shoes. To make perfect harmony with her also black hair, she picked black jewelry: hematite, of course. All hematite.

_Hematite also helps me make the right decision… black as the night, red as passion… I'm coming, Mitsukuni!_

"Kana-chaaan!" Hunny jumped at her just as she entered the ballroom "I was wondering where you were, you're late!"

As Hunny took her on their first dance together that night, Kaname noticed her friends, all there from the beginning, dancing or just talking with their favourite hosts. Tamaki was leading a fainting and teary-eyed Riyoka, Orimi was in Hikaru's arms, and Itsuko right beside the buffet table, talking to Haruhi about all the different fancy foods.

But even if there were ootoro (sadly, there wasn't), Haruhi's attention would still be focused on a rather odd couple. Kyoya and Aki, who was clad in a light purple, quite revealing dress, were dancing together, which was weird considering the spoilt girl still hadn't danced with Tamaki, her favourite host, that evening. And a short time earlier she arrived in Kyoya's limo.

"Haruhi-kun?" asked her customer, suddenly worried "are you listening to me?"

"Oh! Sorry… I got distracted… by all these beautiful decorations."

The orchestra began playing a new tune.

"Haruhi-kun, shouldn't we dance now?"

Haruhi smiled and offered her arm to Itsuko, who joyously accepted.

"Kaname!" Aki noticed her best friend after a few minutes "sorry, Kyoya!"

"Hi, Aki!" she was just helping herself to some food from the buffet table.

"Leave it to me, you'll end up dirtying your dress, or, even worse, _mine_" Aki took her plate, since Kaname's hands were shaking so badly she dropped nearly everything she took "and why are you so nervous?"

Kaname threw a hesitant look at Hunny, laughing with a few other girls (luckily, Reiko had declined the invitation to the ball), then blushed.

Aki understood.

"That won't help, trust me."

"But I won't see him for… months and maybe…"

"That doesn't matter. Here" Aki handed her the now full plate "oh, Tamaki-sama! Have you forgotten about me?!"

"I could never, Princess Kamimae!"

At midnight past, Kaname's nerves were about to wreck. Most customers had already left, but the hosts still seemed pretty lively. But she soon saw Hunny, leaning against a column with Bun-bun in his arms, yawning.

"Hunny-senpai! Are you tired?"

"Quite…" he replied. He had already tasted each single cake, and danced with almost all the fangirls.

"Me too" Kaname stretched a little.

_Come on! Now or never!_

"Um, Mitsukuni…" his name came only in a whisper "may I… take you home?"

Hunny looked up at her.

_He'll say no…_

"Thank you, Kana-chan!" he smiled brightly "if I call my home now, it'll take long! I can go home faster now!"

"Kyoyaaaaaaaaa!!!" Aki shouted "we're leaving, too! Oh, Kaname, I hope you haven't forgotten you're all invited to my home at night. I mean, the girls."

"I…" she looked at Hunny.

"Just know what you're doing" Aki whispered to her, then waved goodbye.

"Takashi!" Hunny walked to Mori "Kana-chan will take me home now. Don't worry."

"Just know what you're doing, Mitsukuni."

"Huh?" Hunny tilted his head, looking adorable as ever. But Mori noticed his slight blush.

"Where's the limousine?" asked Hunny.

"Forget it! We'll be going home in _this_!" Kaname proudly showed Hunny her bright red Porsche.

"What if it rains?" the sky was getting darker.

"I wonder if there'll be thunder…" Haruhi walked past them, hoping to catch the night bus to get home.

"Never mind, Mistukuni, the softtop can be extended any minute… we won't get wet."

Hunny laughed and sat beside Kaname.

"Now, show me the way."

* * *

_Black as the night, red as passion… we'll stop somewhere and… but why should we stop??? Oh dear, oh dear… _

"Rain!" Hunny shivered feeling the first drops. They were just driving by the side of a wooded area, on a deserted road.

"Let me stop…" Kaname pulled up and stopped the car, then pressed a button to activate the softtop "it'll take about a minute…"

She looked at Hunny. His beautiful dark brown eyes looked back at her; Bun-bun was not in the way, as he was safely sitting on the backseat.

Kaname's hand touched the boy's soft hair, as he slowly undid his safety belt. The girl soon did so too.

With a soft _click_, the softtop and the windows closed around them as rain began to pour. They were cut off from the real world. The flash of a lightning and the crack of the first thunder seemed to be the signal: they hugged each other tightly and shared a passionate kiss. Their first one, but definitely not their last for that night, black as hematite.

"Mitsukuni…" Kaname gasped, both of them flushing deeply as their lips parted. But soon they met again, and their hands began roaming over each other's body. Kaname tugged at Hunny's tie, then unbuttoned his jacket. Hunny, a bit nervous, made a shy attempt to pull down the zipper on the back of her dress. She fumbled with his jacket, until he released her from his embrace and finally pulled it off. She sighed as she slowly began to fall backwards on the seat, pulling Hunny with her, then…

_Toooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooot._

They both blinked as if awoken from a dream, as Kaname accidentally pressed the horn with her elbow. But along, she thought she heard a slight, faint cracking sound as well: the magic of the moment, gone, broken forever.

"Um… what are we doing?"

Hunny's blush deepened.

"But mostly… _why_ are we doing this?" Kaname sat up and pulled her zipper back up.

Hunny recovered his jacket from the floor and adjusted his tie.

"Kana-chan…"

"I'm sorry, Mitsukuni."

She placed her shaking hands on the steering wheel.

"I can't drive yet… sorry…"

Hunny nodded. They looked at each other, confused and slightly sad. Neither of them was ready for it. Perhaps it was better this way.

Kaname, in the end, just embraced Hunny one last time, burying her face in his soft blonde hair. It smelt slightly of strawberry, probably from the baby shampoo he used.

After ten minutes of deep silence, she trusted her body again, and drove Hunny home. Neither of them said a single word.

* * *

"What took you so long?" Yasuchika was still awake, along with some of the family servants "it takes about ten minutes to get here!"

True, 45 minutes had passed from when Hunny called home, saying he was coming.

"Nothing… nothing at all!" he said, then waved goodbye to Kaname.

_No way!_ Yasuchika's gaze darkened.

* * *

The girls were already murmuring when Kaname finally reached Aki's mansion.

"What did you…?"

"Nothing!" she said, and ran to her designated bedroom "I'm tired, okay?!"

She buried her face in her pillow and silently cried. She fell into a disturbed sleep only when the first lights of dawn appeared, and the rainclouds cleared. The hematite night was over.


	11. Amethyst

**Wow, this chapter got pretty long. It was originally meant to be a short, sad interlude, but... oh well. **

**By the way, I try to follow canon as much as I can, so this is supposed to happen during Chapter 72 of the manga, when Mori and Hunny are having a duel. So I didn't get into many particulars there. **

**Oh, and I appreciate reviews above anything. Even more than faves and alerts.**

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**Chapter Ten – Amethyst**

It was one of the last days of the Ouran High School Host Club as we know it, and the group of five friends tried to enjoy most of it.

Kaname tried to act as if the hematite night never happened, hoping nobody would spread any gossip. So, she walked quietly towards the Third Music Room with her usual white paper box of fruitcake, when all her hopes were completely foiled.

"You!" Reiko Kanazuki, holding hell charm book in one hand, pointed a finger at her accusingly "you stole Haninozuka's innocence!"

Obviously, she shouted this loudly enough for the whole corridor to hear.

"I didn't!" Kaname blushed and began to tremble, but managed to keep the fruitcake intact.

"But his soul won't be yours and this spell…" Reiko pulled out a twig of weeping willow with a dark red ribbon wrapped around it.

"Leave me alone!" Kaname quickly shoved the box into Aki's hand, covered her face, and ran off.

"Leave her alone" Aki patted Reiko's shoulder "Hunny-senpai hasn't lost his innocence, at least not to her."

Reiko threw her one of the darkest stares she had in store, but the rich and confident girl didn't bat an eyelid, as she happily walked over to Tamaki, placing the cake on the coffee table and exchanging a knowing glance with Kyoya.

* * *

"Kaname, you won't fall in love simply because you _decide _it!" for the past two hours, the total time Aki passed lecturing her best friend, she kept on walking back and forth across the room.

"But…"

"No buts! And please, don't cry. It's not that tragic."

"It is!"

"Why? I have never really been in love either! So…"

"But at least there aren't those rumors about you! Nobody said that you… you…"

"Uh… well, in that case…"

That exact moment, Aki's cellphone rang.

"Sorry! Oh, hi, Kyoyaaaaa!" she walked out.

Kaname sighed and wiped away a tear. Aki was wrong, she was definitely madly in love with Kyoya Ohtori's credit card.

* * *

The days went along fast, by the end of that week, Kaname somehow had found enough strength to show up at the Host Club again, and decided not to cast her fears away or give more foundation for all the gossip: she proudly chose Hunny as her host, as usual.

Reiko mumbled curses non-stop, but at least she didn't speak of Hunny's "lost innocence" any more.

"I told her" Hunny whispered to Kaname, blushing slightly.

"Well" she rolled her eyes "at least I'm pretty sure she believed it, if she heard it from you."

* * *

"It's time to start over, what do you say?" she asked her shiny purple charoite sphere; being quite proud of having a nice piece of the rarest mineral in the world, it usually took the role of the "counselor" plush animal or figurine "what should I use, then? But… of course!"

She ran to the adjacent room and came back with a large, pale purple stone on a chain.

"Amethyst! New beginnings!"

…_sheesh. New beginning, yeah. But beginning of WHAT? Oh, Hunny, Mitsukuni…_

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* * *

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"What the hell? A _duel_?!" she asked, quite incredulous.

"Yes, yes, Kaname-senpai, I can assure you of that!" Renge was shaking for the total excitement "Mori-senpai challenged Hunny-senpai! Who do you place your bet on?"

"I… err… uh…"

"This spell will ensure Haninozuka's victory…" Reiko walked past them waving Bereznoff in the air.

"None of them" Kaname sighed.

"Will you watch?" asked Renge "but of course you will! Come, come, and stand right next to me!"

Thus she pulled the girl with her.

"Um… Renge-kun… I'm not sure if I want to see this…" Kaname couldn's stop awkwardly shifting her weight from one leg to the other, as she stood beside the Host Club manager on the windswept field where Mori and Hunny were facing each other.

"But you owe this to Hunny-senpai!" Renge, tears in her eyes, grasped both of Kaname's shoulders and stared right into her eyes "especially after…"

"No way! I didn't!"

"Everyone knows you did! It's so romantic!"

"No, it's not! We didn't!!! Just ask him and…"

"Begin!" Tamaki's voice was heard.

Renge immediately let Kaname go, so suddenly that the girl fell bakcwards on the grass.

_Everyone knows? EVERYONE?!_

"Oh, dear!" she simply passed out.

"Oooh, look, the tension of the duel was too much for her!" Renge began jumping in excitement.

* * *

"So, uh, what happened?" Kaname asked Aki. For when she awoke, despite it happening just a couple of minutes later, the duel was already over.

"Mori-senpai won and…"

"What?! Is Mitsukuni okay?!"

"Yes, yes… Mori-senpai requested that Hunny-senpai should brush his teeth and cut down on his sweets intake… oh, and that he should also stop bringing Bun-bun to University… he'll bring it once every three days…"

"Ouch… it was as if I was requested not to bring minerals with me any more… now, shall I seek him out? I still didn't say a proper goodbye. And I even brought some fruitcake, I just left it in my locker…"

"Of course. Oh, and isn't that stone a bit much?"

"What, this? Well… maybe…" Kaname touched her amethyst pendant. True, it was nearly of the size of her fist.

"Now go" smiled Aki "I gotta call Kyoya."

_Have a nice chat with your beloved credit card, Aki…_

_

* * *

_

Kaname arrived just in time to see the Host Club saying their goodbyes to Hunny and Mori, who were proudly showing everyone their graduation certificates.

"Kana-chan!" Hunny smiled brightly at her.

"Mitsukuni! Here, a goodbye cake!" she put the box on the table and hugged Hunny tightly. It didn't matter Reiko was nearby; she enjoyed this beautiful moment.

_Let the hematite night be forgotten…_

"I included the recipe!" she whispered in his ear.

"Yay! Thank you, thank you!"

"Takashi!" she let Hunny go and ran over to Mori, not caring about most of the others raising their eyebrows at her calling him by his first name "goodbye to you too!"

"Kana-chan!" Hunny pulled her arm "we'll be coming back here every now and then!"

"Really? Well then, just tell me when! So I can make more cake for you!"

* * *

All the happiness Kaname showed was gone about half an hour later, when she walked down the gravel path of the school yard. She wanted this to be a happy day for her beloved Mitsukuni, and it was, and everything seemed fine… but the utter confusion in her heart now turned to total chaos. She absolutely had no idea whether she should laugh or cry.

She nervously pulled at the huge amethyst, when, out of the blue, it detached itself from the chain and dropped to the ground.

"No!"

_No new beginning then. All gone. Mitsukuni…_

Tears now really began forming in her eyes, when that terrible voice was heard.

"Kaname-saaan! You dropped something!"

"Think I didn't notice, idiot?!" she picked the amethyst up and her eyes threw lightnings at Satoshi.

He didn't seem to notice, but apparently Chika, standing beside him, did, as he replied with a similar stare.

"Oh. But it's just some pebble. A big one, but why are you holding it?"

_Just… a… pebble?!_

Without further notice, she immediately threw it at Satoshi, hitting him right in the forehead. He shrieked and fell backwards.

"Yesss! SCORE!" Kaname laughed evilly.

Too bad Chika had about enough. He ran over to her and grasped her collar.

"How many times are you attempting to kill him?!"

"Let me go!" Kaname tried to get hold of Chika's hands, to get him to stop, but couldn't.

"Listen, are you completely stupid?! You're a public danger! And in addition, you… and my brother…"

"We didn't! Yasuchika! Let me go!"

"Oh come on, everyone knows you did! At the very least, I do for sure!"

"No, we didn't! Yasuchika! Was it _you_ who told it around?!"

"So you admit it! And no, it wasn't me. Must have been a friend of yours."

"Liar! They would never!"

Chika had enough of the senseless argument and let Kaname go. By the way, he was actually telling the truth; Reiko got to know by overhearing Riyoka, Itsuko and Orimi discussing the night, then her accusing Kaname loudly quickly let everyone around take for granted something that never happened.

"Oh, and give me back that" Kaname picked the amethyst up from beside Satoshi as he was slowly regaining his senses "and don't worry, it'll heal by the time you move to the next grade."

"Yeah, we're moving to High School, actually!" Chika shouted after her, as she hurried away, hoping to get to the limousine before the two boys could do anything more; she was a little scared of Chika, and Satoshi annoyed her to no end.

As she finally sat on the backseat, she put the amethyst in her lap, a look of frozen horror on her face.

_They're going to High School._

Which practically meant she was going to meet them every single day.

_A new beginning. The beginning of a nightmare!_


	12. Chrysocolla

**Reviews welcome more than anything! Please, if you took the time to read this, review! I truly appreciate all your favourites and alerts, but some words from you really make me happy.**

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**Sorry if this one's short! Anyway, hope you enjoy, and sorry for leaving such a cliffhanger at the end!**

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**Chapter Eleven – Chrysocolla**

"Kanameee!" she had to hold her phone about half a metre from her ear not go deaf, as she sat in the limousine on her first day as a third-year "you wouldn't believe this!"

"What? Aki, calm down!"

"There is no Host Club!"

She froze.

"Who told you that?!"

"Kyoya!"

Even if Hunny and Mori weren't members any more, it still hurt Kaname deeply that the Host Club was over.

"But Aki! Maybe…"

"No, no! Tamaki can't go there!"

"What?" by then, she had gotten out, and kept on talking as she walked across the yard to the entrance.

"Kanameeee!!!" suddenly Aki threw herself at her, almost knocking her over "can you believe it?!"

_No. I can't._

She even had some fruitcake ready.

"Oh, look!" Aki said, pointing to a brand new hallway "they had this elevator installed during the break! Let's try it!"

_Nothing special about this elevator, though it sure is large._

All carpeted in dark red, with mirrors and soft wallpaper, it was definitely fit for Ouran Academy.

* * *

For Kaname, the day went on slowly, as she had to listen to her friends' hopeless whines and moans all through the breaks. She brought the fruitcake just as a goodbye present to the Host Club, as she wasn't going to be a guest any more, but still… Riyoka wept all day, Aki held her ground somehow, while Itsuko and Orimi tried to convince each other that Haruhi and the Hitachiin brothers were still around. But Tamaki Suoh was forbidden, by his grandmother's orders, it seemed, to do any activity after school.

Kaname felt alone.

* * *

Then, at lunch break, things took a turn for the worse.

Satoshi and Chika had just greeted Haruhi, Hikaru and Kaoru, when they noticed Kaname in the queue.

"Oh, great" mumbled Chika.

Chika never liked his brother's fangirls, and, after witnessing how Kaname brought Hunny fruitcake, he developed a definitely strong dislike for her. Ever since the hematite night and the amethyst incident, it grew into full hatred. She had to be totally twisted! Chika would have really loved to tell her off, but, with Satoshi constantly around, he could never. Him protecting her was weird on its own, given that Kaname never seemed to skip a chance to try to murder him. And Chika wouldn't let his best friend be killed by someone like her…

"Kaname-saaan!!!" shouted Satoshi happily.

_Not again!_ Kaname picked up the pace.

It seemed the amethyst-throwing incident had absolutely no effect on Satoshi, who seemed glad to see her.

"Um, gotta go…" she tried to get her lunch as fast as she could, so that she could sit with her friends "Lunch C, please!"

She didn't even realize what it included, she just wanted to get away, fast…

"Aki! May I…"

But her friends were already far, chatting with Tamaki, whom they finally managed to catch as he was having lunch.

"Well hello there, Kaname-san!" Satoshi sat beside her happily "and don't worry, it didn't hurt that much!"

_I actually hoped you'd slip into a coma for years…_

She picked up her spoon with a dark aura seeping out of her. So dark that even Reiko Kanazuki, currently trying her best to be the official new leader of the Black Magic Club, avoided her, instead of showing off the newest curse she learnt.

"Stupid Satoshi, why?" asked Chika, fuming silently "why did we have to sit here?!"

Kaname didn't notice, as she had just found one of the two dishes she took contained zucchini, which she hated. She turned her attention to the other one.

"So, Kaname-san, how do you feel as a third-year?"

_Not mushrooms!_ She was allergic to them.

"Kaname-san?"

She sighed. It was all Satoshi's fault, but she had to keep her composure.

_I still have my fruitcake to eat…_

She quickly searched in her bag and pulled it out.

"Hey, you!" Chika shouted "Mitsukuni is not here, there's no need of that!"

He tried to eat as fast as possible, as to not stay close to her for too long.

Kaname still pretended not to notice. After having placed the white paper box on the table, she rolled up her sleeve and touched her bracelet of chrysocolla stones, said to bring serenity and acceptance. Satoshi and Chika had to be tolerated.

"Oooh!" too bad Satoshi had to say the worst thing possible "nice color! Looks like plastic!"

Kaname's gaze darkened immediately.

_SPLAT!_

The entire room went silent for a few seconds as the dish of mushrooms landed on Satoshi's head, spraying sauce in every possible direction.

"LEAVE ME ALONE, YOU IDIOT!!!"

That was it. No Host Club. Her friends caring about everything but her. Third-year in high school, with two guys she hated following her everywhere. Hunny far away. The hematite night. _Oh, Hunny, Mitsukuni…_

Tears began forming in her eyes as she ran off, trying to find a quiet place to calm her nerves.

"Now that's about enough, I'll take care of it!" Chika wiped his mouth theatrically, then sped out after her.

Satoshi, once he awoke from sort of a daze, slowly lifted the plate off his head, and took a hanging shitake from his hair.

"Mmm, tasty! Yasuchika… Yasuchika? Where are you?"

* * *

_Where is she?_ Chika searched along the empty hallways. _She couldn't have gone very far…_

Then he heard a soft ringing sound, the signal of the elevator reaching the ground floor.

Kaname was there, deciding that the second floor showers would be the best place to go, and the brand new elevator was obviously the fastest way to reach them.

She got inside, but, just as the doors were closing, someone else slipped in.

"Yasuchika?! What are you doing here?" she tried to look calm.

He glanced at her sideways, looking even more serious than usual.

"Which floor?" she asked, hoping it was mere bad luck.

"Really, who do you think you are?" Chika asked.

"What?"

"I mean, are you really that insensitive and stupid?"

"Yasuchika!" she backed away as he moved a step towards her.

_Why aren't we yet at the second floor? It should have taken less than 20 seconds!_

Kaname looked at the monitor showing where they were.

_Oh, okay. Between the first floor and the second._

"You…" Chika took another step.

_What the hell? Still there?!_

Suddenly the elevator shook slightly, along with a disturbing sound.

Chika had to hold back what he wanted to say for a moment, as both he and Kaname looked at the monitor.

Then horror crept on their faces.

"Yasuchika…? I think we're stuck…"


	13. Tiger Eye

**Thank you for all the kind reviews. Can't wait to know your opinion as usual, predictions, thoughts, anything! Enjoy!**

**For the record, this is "Kaname in an embarrassing situation" #4.**

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* * *

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**Chapter Twelve – Tiger Eye**

"DAMN!" Chika began banging against the closed door.

"We're between two floors!" Kaname tried to remind him.

"Shut up, you silly… you… you _bitch_!"

"_What_ did you just call me?!" the girl forgot immediately that picking a fight against Chika wasn't the best idea "I didn't…"

"Everyone. Knows. You. Did" Chika didn't even turn around to face her as he said the words slowly.

"Well, they are wrong!"

Chika sighed.

"Look, I don't want to start this all over again, but really, you should stop denying the obvious!"

"The obvious _what_?" Kaname rolled her eyes "we just had to pull on the softtop of the Porsche!"

_How I wish the hematite night never happened!_

Chika seemed like he had enough of the pointless argument, plus being locked in with a girl he hated annoyed him to no end.

"Fine, whatever. Is there a _help_ button anywhere?"

"Um, yes…" Kaname moved away to let Chika seek it out.

Luckily, aside from the alarm, there was also a phone installed to call for help, which would transmit the message through a loudspeaker next to the elevator's door on each floor.

* * *

Meanwhile, Kaname's friends, along with the Host Club members and Satoshi (still with mushrooms in his hair and stained clothes; he decided to go to the bathroom first), were already on the second floor when they heard the alarm.

"What's going on?" soon a crowd of students gathered around the elevator's door, and one of them pushed the button of the loudspeaker for it.

"It's stuck!" said Chika's voice.

"Yes!" Kaname's added "call someone who can help us! We're between two floors!"

Great excitement followed.

"Will you help us?!"

"Oh come on, Yasuchika, they won't leave us rotting here forever!"

"Shut up!"

Kaname snatched the phone from Chika.

"We're counting on you!"

"Don't worry!" Aki's shout was heard inside "you'll be out soon, we already called the repair squad!"

"Thank goodness for that!" sighed Chika as he leaned against the wall.

"See?" Kaname hung up "there's no need to get all wound up!"

She smiled at him weakly, but he just frowned.

"What? Is Yasuchika really stuck in there?!" Satoshi, with only his slightly stained shirt on and his hair freshly washed, just got aware of the situation.

A few more students and Kaname's friends' gang was beside the elevator too. They couldn't hear too much of the conversation inside, just murmurs.

Aki and the three other girls, along with Satoshi and a few other curious or worried students, as there weren't more classes, just club activities (no Host Club any more), decided to wait for the repairmen to come and wait by the elevator. Satoshi called off Kendo club, while Aki and the others, who had nothing scheduled for that afternoon, just stood and waited.

Time passed slowly. Twenty minutes later, there was still no sign of the repairmen, and the two captives didn't want to talk with their friends outside just by shouting. Chatting with each other, of course, wasn't an option either.

The crowd outside of the elevator began to clear; Aki and her friends began walking up and down the corridor. Only Satoshi stayed in one spot. Students casually passed by, but they didn't stop for more than a few moments. Until a weird series of sounds and words was heard from inside… and the number of curious or scandalized students started to grow.

* * *

"Oh! Yasuchika!" Kaname's voice was first heard.

Silence.

"Can't you do it silently?!" Chika said angrily.

"But I am just humming while-"

"Don't do anything like that! Do it in silence!"

"Sheesh!"

Silence, just faint murmurs. Then suddenly a _thud_.

"Yasuchika! Oh, no! It slipped!"

A loud _thud_.

"Yasuchika! Stop! It hurts! It huuurts!!!"

Banging noises.

"Here, is this…?"

"Yes, yes, Yasuchika! That's it!"

Kissing noises.

"Stop doing that, please!" Kaname's voice came a while later "I'm tired, can't we please stop?"

Murmurs, then the banging stopped.

"Did you have to pull my hair that hard?"

"And you then, Yasuchika?! You almost ripped my dress!"

* * *

"Is the elevator to repair here?"

"Ahh… yes…" Haruhi, paling, managed to point it out to the repairmen, who finally showed up.

They didn't really understand why half of the students around was white as a sheet, and the other half blushing furiously. And why was there such a crowd outside of the elevator?

* * *

Twenty minutes later, the doors finally opened, to reveal Kaname and Chika sitting half asleep beside each other.

Kaname rose her head immediately, without noticing it almost rested on the boy's shoulder.

"Finally! Free at last! Yasuchika!"

He growled something and stood up.

"What were you doing inside there?" several people asked in unison.

"Nothing" they answered innocently and wide-eyed "what did you think?"

Kaname passed a hand through her hair and yawned.

"I'm so tired! I think I'm going home."

* * *

As she and Chika, walking at the edges of the corridor, were out of earshot, Aki clapped her hands.

"You all! Don't leave, stay here with me!"

Her best friend had already gotten into far enough embarrassing situations, but this really topped them all. And Aki Kamimae wouldn't let Kaname suffer more.

"You!" she addressed the repair squad "one more thing."

* * *

"Yasuchika! Kaname-san! Wait!" Satoshi came up, running "what were you…"

"This… girl" Chika left out any insulting adjectives, for he didn't want Satoshi to beat him up "kept on humming some songs, and I told her to shut up…"

"Oh, so my voice is that terrible, is it?!" Kaname put her hands on her hips "and you walked around with banging steps and didn't even care when I dropped my beautiful ring!"

"Who cares about some stupid jewel when you're stuck in a stupid elevator!"

"But that's no reason to push me against the wall!"

"But at least I found it!"

"Thank goodness for that, at least!"

"Um… Yasuchika! Wait for me, I gotta go pick up my stuff…" Satoshi, understanding less and less, gave up.

"Fine" Chika sighed "I'll wait for you outside."

"Yasuchika?" asked Kaname, once Satoshi sped off "why is everonye gossiping about us?"

"What?! Now, you listen here: there's no such thing as _us_! There's _you_ and there's _me_! Got it?!" With this, Chika ran off too.

"Sheesh" Kaname looked after him, genuinely clueless. Then she slowly began to walk down the corridor too, until she heard fast-paced footsteps and stopped, sighing and getting ready for the inevitable.

"Kaname-saaan!"

"Hi, Satoshi."

"Um…"

"What?!"

Satoshi seemed to be wanting to ask or say something really badly.

"What?!" Kaname asked again.

"Uh… that ring!"

"This?" Kaname took it off for a second "oh, yes. This is the one that slipped."

Satoshi looked at it, deep in his thoughts. It shone of a golden brown colour, with darker stripes.

"Oh! Got it! It's lion eye, right?"

Kaname looked at him so surprised as if she'd just seen a donkey telling her about nuclear physics.

"Erm, tiger, actually. Tiger eye. But it's nice of you to notice."

* * *

**This didn't really come out well, but I hope you liked it anyway. Review please!**


	14. Aventurine

**Sorry, this turned out messy and short. But I hope you like it! Review please!

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**Chapter Thirteen – Aventurine**

"Whoa" said Satoshi after Kaname had walked away "never thought _that_ would ever happen. Oh well, whatever."

For Kaname had smiled at him, and moreover, genuinely.

* * *

"So, you see?" Aki said triumphantly, showing the elevator's security camera's footage. Chika and Kaname did barely touch each other; in fact, they did so once, when Chika got so nervous that he grasped her collar and pushed her against the wall, and she pulled his hair in an attempt to make him stop.

* * *

In the following days, Kaname decided she'd only have lunch after making sure Chika wasn't nearby. This meant that, and she thanked the heavens for that, she did never ever run into Satoshi, either. And, in the case they made a dish she liked, she wouldn't want to waste it by throwing it at Satoshi, for she was sure any foolish comment of the younger Morinozuka would undoubtedly result in that.

But one day, about two weeks after the incident in the elevator, Kaname decided she'd walk for a while in the beautiful sunlight of late spring, looking at the cherry blossoms, before going home, so she called her chauffeaur who agreed to wait for her a little farther away than usual.

As some petals fell from the cherry trees, and only slight birdsong filled the air under the cloudless blue sky, Kaname felt complete peace. And she needed that, a lot actually, since there was no Host Club for her to spend the afternoons at, and she was pretty sure her broken heart hadn't yet healed completely. How she would have loved to look at the cherry blossoms with _him_! _Mitsukuni…_

But no, she had messed up her last chance on the hematite night, and lost completely to Reiko Kanazuki.

"Phew" she sat on the edge of the beautiful fountain in the schoolyard, and began distractedly fiddling with one of her earrings, hematite again. She thought that, by wearing that mineral again, she would be able to finally get ovet the memories of that night. The night she almost spent with Hunny.

"Oh, no!"

* * *

Meanwhile, karate club didn't start yet, and, as Satoshi had nothing better to do (Chika still had class), he began walking around the gardens as well. Too bad his path obviously crossed Kaname's, and he had to say something astonishingly stupid again.

"Kaname-saaan!"

"Oh, for heaven's sake!" she had a sudden urge to pull her hair out. She didn't answer.

"What are you doing, fishing?"

"Are you really a complete idiot, or do you just fake it, tell me?! No, I just lost my earring…" Kaname pulled her sleeve up as she reached lower in the fountain "oh, finally! Got it!"

Satoshi just stood there, looking at her. He just wanted to tell her that he didn't think anything wrong happened inside the elevator, and that he was sorry for acting so stupid for so long. But somehow he couldn't put it into words.

"Kaname-san! Um, it was nice to see you…"

"Yeah, yeah, sure, whatever…" she rolled her sleeve back down again "goodbye, Sat- oh! An aventurine!"

"What?" he walked up to the fountain.

She sat on the edge, but, as soon as he did so too, she scooted away.

"I wasn't talking to you! And anyway, why are you here?"

"Karate club will start only in 15 minutes… um… what did you say… uh… adamantine?"

"_Aventurine_. Right there" Kaname pointed at a shiny green stone among the pebbles on the bottom of the fountain "even if it's under the water, I'm pretty sure it's an aventurine."

"Which one?"

"That green one, over there."

"But it's too inside, you can't grab it and…"

"Oh, you fool! I don't want to!" Kaname stood up "I just said it's an aventurine, not that I want it!"

"Um, Kaname-san…"

"What?" she didn't stop walking.

"I… uh…"

"Tell me, why exactly are we circling around the fountain?"

"I just wanted to say that you and Yasuchika… I don't think that…"

"Think _what_?" she stopped "why did everyone give us weird looks anyway? That cursed elevator…"

"Uh…"

_He's a complete idiot and can't even speak coherently, or what?!_

Kaname began to get really frustrated.

"Listen, Satoshi, it was really nice to see you, but now I gotta get to the car waiting for me, so goodbye…"

Satoshi suddenly touched her shoulder.

"Wait… I…"

"Whoa, don't touch me!" Kaname backed away unexpectedly violently, and tripped into the edge of the fountain.

"Oh gods, nooo!"

"Kaname-san!"

Kaname reached out for Satoshi and grabbed his arm, which resulted in her pulling him with her, right into the cold water.

"YOU IDIOT!"

Satoshi's usually spiky hair stuck to his face soaking wet, as his face flushed in embarrassment.

"I'm sorry, I…"

"Oh!" Kaname leant down, and didn't even bother to pull up her sleeve as she took the stone "yes! It's really an aventurine!"

Satoshi leant closer to look at it; she slightly moved away, but let him.

"You're a complete fool, you know?"

"Uh…"

"Here, take it" he dropped the aventurine in his hand "it brings luck, and you'll need it."

Kaname stepped out of the fountain, and walked quickly towards the gate, hopeful to get to the car before anyone sees her.

"Why?" asked Satoshi, still standing under the spray of water.

"Because… well, look at the clocktower! It's already time for karate club!"

* * *

"Satoshi! You're late! And why are you all wet?! And what's that pebble?!" Chika was waiting in the dojo.

"Uh… I fell into the… eh… pond…"

"Oh, who cares! Just get ready!"

Satoshi put the aventurine in his bag and proceeded to change.

* * *

The chauffeur of the Kinishi family was polite enough not to ask questions when the young lady climbed into the limousine soaking wet, but giggling.

Kaname lay on her bed, staring at the charoite sphere. He surely wanted to give a mineral to Hunny too. She was going to choose and send it to him… oh, hell, why did she even give anything to that idiot of Satoshi?!

_I am so stupid…_

She looked at the charoite sphere again. Then suddenly had a realization, and spent the whole evening gathering the courage to talk to a person who could help her. Not sure she would, but there was a slight chance…

* * *

The next morning, she spotted her on the school corridor.

"Kanazuki-san!"


	15. Lapis Lazuli

**Chapter Fourteen – Lapis Lazuli**

"Very well" said Reiko, sitting in her black draped armchair, between two fading candles "so you want advice to steal somebody's soul?"

"Um…" Kaname, sitting in front of her, felt uncomfortable to say the least, in a dimly lit room "no… not really…"

"Then…?" Reiko began began fiddling with a Bereznoff doll.

"I want to… to let go…"

Reiko's eyes flashed.

"What?"

"Um…"

For, the evening before, Kaname had realized that what she felt for Hunny maybe wasn't love after all. But she couldn't help thinking about him all the time, and her minerals were of no use.

"Kanazuki-san, can't we please stop being enemies?" Kaname made a weak attempt.

"I'm not your enemy" Reiko stood up, and began searching the shelves and drawers. Too bad the other girl could perfectly feel pure hatred seeping out of her like a dark aura.

The new President of the Black Magic Club finally walked to Kaname with her hands full of various trinkets, all of them looking very sinister at best.

"This one…" she hung a long necklace of skull-shaped beads around her neck "then this bracelet, these earrings, and this ring…"

"Kanazuki-san…"

"Silence! You want my help or not?!" finally Reiko pulled out a single black stone.

"Onyx!" said Kaname.

"Yes…" Reiko began to chant magic words "if you kiss it three times every ten minutes for a fortnight…"

Kaname suddenly realized what she was actually doing.

"Enough of this nonsense!" she took the jewelry off and stormed out.

_It was just ____getting fun_, thought Reiko, _but at least Haninozuka's soul is mine!_

"…oh. I'm sorry!" Kaname, running out, bumped into someone, knocking them to the ground.

"Watch your step, dammit!" Chika rubbed his aching back as he sat on the floor "you fool!"

There was a loud _slam_, and the younger Haninozuka forgot about the pain in his back as he tried to cover his head.

"Yasuchika!" Satoshi whacked him with the shinai again "that's absolutely no way to address beautiful ladies! Oh! Kaname-san, are you okay?"

"Thank you, I'm fine" she smiled at him a little uncertainly.

None of them noticed Reiko glaring at them from the doorway.

* * *

A while later Kaname sat on the edge of the fountain, looking at the pebbles on the bottom. Her chance with Hunny was gone, lost forever.

"Kaname-saaan!"

_Again?!_

"Uh?" Satoshi walked up to her smiling "I mean, sorry about before. Yasuchika…"

"It's fine" she said, keeping a distance, as she never wanted to repeat the embarrassing accident of the day before.

"So, uh, do you see other… aventurines down there?"

"Whoa, you remembered it!"

"Of course" he smiled again "so?"

"Um, no…" she looked down at the pebbles "but hey, that must be a lapis lazuli!"

"Which one?"

"That blue one over there."

"Wait…" he pulled up his sleeve.

"No! Don't take a bath again and…"

"Never mind, my arms are longer than yours! Oh… here it is!" Satoshi held the small, shiny blue stone up.

"We'll be stealing them all from there, at this pace…" giggled Kaname.

"What is this one good for?"

"Well, it helps you see the truth."

"Really? Uh, sorry, got some extra training today… bye!"

Kaname waved, then made her way to the waiting limousine.

* * *

_She's so nice_, thought Satoshi, as he played with the lapis lazuli after putting on his karate clothes.

Soon Chika arrived too.

"What's that pebble?" he asked.

"Oh… nothing…"

"Fine then! We've got to hurry, forget this!" Chika snatched the lapis lazuli from Satoshi and threw it away, off in a corner.

The result of this was an incredibly hard blow from the shinai.

"HOW COULD YOU?!" shouted Satoshi "that was a gift from Kaname-san!"

"What?!" Chika froze "from… _that girl_?!"

"Yes… oh, where is it, where is it…?"

"You're not in love with her, are you?!" Chika whispered.

"What?! Of course not, Yasuchika!" he whacked the other boy with the shinai again.

Chika stared at the ground. _I really hope so, she's a fool!_

"And put that down, we're in the _karate dojo_!"

"Okay… just let me see…"

But Satoshi had no time to look for the stone any longer, as the class had arrived.

* * *

Once class was over, Satoshi stayed and cleaned up the whole dojo. Finally something glimmered among the dust: the small lapis lazuli.

"Found you!" he laughed.

* * *

It was already past midnight, but Satoshi still couldn't sleep. The lapis lazuli was lying on his bedside table, and in the end he took it in his hand and continued staring at the darkness.

_It helps you see the truth._

Satoshi sighed heavily, as Chika's question echoed in his mind.

_You're not in love with her, are you?!_

"I… I guess I am."


	16. Carnelian

**Sorry for the delay, enjoy and, oh, remember to REVIEW!

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**Chapter Fifteen – Carnelian**

"Welcome!"

The customers rushed in as the Host Club opened its doors again.

"It's so weird... there's only five of you!" Kaname walked in with a huge portion of fruitcake "well, I'm sure this will be of use nonetheless!"

She sat down on a couch, not close to any particular host, as her two favorites were off to University.

"Kyoyaaa!" after a horde of customers jumped on Tamaki, Aki had the dignity to stand up and walk over to the Shadow King "remember the night of the ball? What we talked about before..."

"Sure" Kyoya showed a sly smile.

"I have some new plans... I hope we can discuss them later..."

_Oh, great._

Kaname rolled her eyes and soon left the Third Music Room.

"Oh, hi, Kaname-san!" Satoshi blushed furiously as they ran into each other on the corridor.

"Hi" she smiled.

"Um, ah, ehhh..." he tried to find some plausible excuse for his presence there "ah! Is Taka in there?"

Kaname blinked.

"No, he's not. But why, doesn't he tell you if he comes in or not?"

_Stupid me!_

He suddenly had an urge to whack himself in the head, but luckily he left his shinai at the kendo dojo.

"So, well, excuse me..." Kaname waved and walked past him.

"Kaname-san! Wait!"

"What?" she stopped.

"Um... may I..." he nervously stood from one leg to the other "may I... accompany you to the limousine?"

_She'll say no and send me to hell..._

"Well, I don't see why not."

Satoshi tried to hide his joy.

"So, um, Kaname-san..." as they got outside, Satoshi clumsily tried to make conversation "isn't the weather lovely?"

Kaname looked at him blankly.

"Satoshi, are you all ri – YIKES! A SPIDER!" she backed up seeing a tiny, harmless little black one running across the path.

Satoshi dropped his handbag on the ground as he caught her.

_Oh wow! I'm touching her! Oh! What should I do now?_

Kaname didn't take his hands off her instaneously.

"Ew! It's icky!" commented Satoshi, as the spider ran away.

Kaname smiled, then laughed out loud as she stepped away from him. She remembered the time he told her he'd protect her from any spiders.

"All right, _hero!_" she gave him a playful slap on the head "aw, sheesh, gotta run, I guess the limo's been waiting for a while now... bye!"

As the wind picked up the fallen cherry blossoms, Satoshi just stood there, blushing slightly. By now, he wasn't just considering the possibility: he _knew_ he was in love, but the realization left him completely helpless. The girl he chose obviously considered him just a friend, or even less; and she clearly had no clue about his feelings. Then again, how would a girl of nearly 18 ever fall for him, who had just a few days to go until his 16th birthday?

* * *

"Ah... uhm... Taka!" Satoshi, fiddling nervously with his pencil, and supposedly doing his homework, said to his brother, quietly reading one of his University books in an armchair in the other end of the room.

"Yes?" Mori didn't even look up.

Satoshi bit his pencil.

_How should I begin? The girls all love Taka!_

"Um, there's this girl in my class..."

"Aah?" Mori looked up.

"And she's pretty... and nice..."

"Aah?" Mori closed the book.

"What should I do?" Satoshi bit his pencil so hard that it cracked.

"Satoshi. Does she talk to you? Is she your friend?"

"Um... I guess so..." Satoshi laid back, crossing his legs in frustration.

"Maybe... one day you should tell her."

"But..."

"If you think she likes you."

"Ah... um... thanks, Taka! I'll think about it..."

Mori was pretty sure Satoshi wasn't talking about a girl from his class, as they were all exactly the same ones as in middle and elementary school, and he never showed any interest in them. They might have matured or changed their looks, but it was highly improbable for any of them to suddenly turn into a goddess and make Satoshi instantly fall for them.

Mori just had no clue about who his brother was talking about; but he just smiled and opened his book again, confident that he would find out eventually.

* * *

A few days later, on a Friday, Mori and Hunny were scheduled to spend another afternoon at the Host Club, which obviously made all the girls extremely excited. Satoshi was about to turn sixteen on Saturday.

"Oh my!" Kaname, on Thursday evening, baked the hugest and tastiest fruitcake ever "I'm sure Mitsukuni will love it!"

The next day she slipped a shining orange carnelian stone in her pocket, as, among many of its properties, it was also supposed to protect from negative feelings, and she expected Reiko to show up.

But Reiko Kanazuki avoided the Host Club that day (perhaps she had a date with Hunny some time later?), while Aki and her merry group of friends turned up, of course.

Kaname sat beside Hunny, watching him eat her cake and chatting with him about her plans for summer break, occasionally still losing herself in his big, warm dark brown eyes.

Meanwhile, Aki, having tea with Tamaki as usual, of course, occasionally threw a knowing glance at Kyoya, who replied with a slight smile. There were undoubtedly negotiations scheduled for that day.

As the time for end of club was drawing closer, the door opened slightly and Satoshi took a peek inside.

His true purpose was to catch a glimpse of Kaname, and tried not to get noticed.

"Hm" Mori smiled at him and raised a hand.

Satoshi surrendered and walked in, trying desperately to find a suitable excuse to be there.

"So, uhm, Taka..." he stood in front of his brother, and it took all his will not to stare at Kaname, sitting between Mori and Hunny, as in his eyes she kept on looking prettier and prettier with each day passing.

"Oh come on, there's room here!" Kaname scooted a little "there! If you want to talk to him..."

Satoshi turned crimson red, as the place he was offered was narrow, and, though he would undoubtedly fit, he would have to... _snuggle up to Kaname..._

"What?" Kaname smiled at him "just come!"

Hesitating a second, in the end Satoshi gave in and sat between the girl and his brother. He seemingly carelessly attempted to ask him about his birthday celebrations planned for the following day, and, as he would have had plenty of time to discuss it after school, Mori began to wonder what he was actually doing there, when Kaname managed to catch a sentence.

"Oh! Satoshi! Really? Your birthday is tomorrow?" she lightly placed a hand on his arm.

The way Satoshi shivered and blushed even more was unmistakable; it suddenly dawned on Mori that the girl he talked about was no other than a former fangirl of his... _Kaname Kinishi._ The one who loved to talk. The one who would always end up in embarrassing situations. The one who used to say the wrong thing at the wrong time... _the one who was pretty much like his brother._

In the arc of two minutes, Satoshi payed no more attention to Mori, and Kaname seemed to have forgotten about Hunny, busy as they were talking to _each other_.

Mori smiled at Hunny above the heads of the cute almost-couple, and Hunny replied with a similar smile.

"Here, have this!" Kaname suddenly pulled the carnelian from her pocket "if it's your birthday tomorrow... this brings luck to people of your star sign! I know it's not much, sorry..."

"No... no matter at all!" Satoshi's eyes were shining "oh, Kaname-san... thank you!"

* * *

"You should tell her" said Mori, as he was walking home with his brother.

"Who?" he asked, seemingly clueless.

"_Her. _You know who I'm talking about."

As Satoshi stayed silent, Mori smiled reassuringly and added:

"I'm pretty sure she likes you."

Satoshi held the carnelian to his heart as he tried his best to believe what his brother just said.


	17. Emerald

**Sorry if it's short! And don't worry, it's not over yet ;)

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**Chapter Sixteen – Emerald**

Satoshi, by then a proud boy of 16, sat in the karate dojo waiting for Chika, happily playing with his small carnelian.

_Damn, I'm five minutes late! Satoshi is gonna kill me!_

Chika showed up, panting and already bracing himself for the beating to come. But, strangely enough, Satoshi merely smiled and waved at him, then kept on rolling a tiny orange stone between his fingers.

"What's that pebble?" Chika asked, suspecting the worst.

"A gift from Kaname-san."

"That foolish girl?"

Satoshi, until then completely relaxed and calm, jumped up at the speed of light and gave Chika a huge punch.

"That's no way to talk about ladies!"

"Ow! Satoshi, cut it out!" Chika fell to the floor trying to defend himself "and _she slept with my brother_!"

The carnelian fell on the floor with a _ping_ and rolled away, finally stopping against the wall beside the bench. Satoshi's stare emptied as he stopped in the middle of a move, fist raised. Chika knelt up, realising the truth made its effect.

"Yeah" he said, dusting his pants.

"She... did...?"

"And probably with yours, too" he added, just to complete the effect.

Satoshi sat down and reached for the forgotten carnelian; he took it in his hands and just stared at it sadly.

"Come on now, there's karate club!" Chika took his change of clothes out of his bag "Satoshi!"

He still wouldn't move.

"I'm not feeling very well" he said finally, his voice flat "tell them I have a cold, or whatever."

"Satoshi! Hey! Satoshi!" Chika tried to pull him back, but he shook his hand off "Satoshi! _Satoshi_!"

He just walked out, his bag hanging in one hand, the carnelian in the other.

By the time he reached the fountain he was running. It brought back too many memories... her hand resting on his chest as she stared fascinated at the aventurine, cool water pouring over both of them... them sitting on the edge, talking about the lapis lazuli...

"Whoa! Watch your step, Satoshi!"

_Why HER?_

Kaname smiled at him. That bright smile... the smile he would give everything for...

"Kaname!" he grabbed both her shoulders; her eyes widened.

"Satoshi, are you all right?"

It wasn't worth it. He couldn't just ask her _hey, did you really sleep with Haninozuka-senpai?_

"Satoshi!" Kaname tried calling out for him, but he wouldn't turn back. Maybe she would have gone after him, too bad her attention was soon turned to something much more disturbing.

"Kyoyaaa!" shouted Aki, as she hopped on the limousine's backseat next to the Ohtori boy "I want to be on top this time!"

"WHAT?" Kaname dropped her bag.

"Top of the list on the stock exchange, you idiot!" Aki stuck her tongue out as both she and Kyoya opened their laptops, the limousine's door closing.

_Of course. What was I thinking? They're in love with each other's credit card, anyway..._

Kaname scratched her head, picked up her bag and walked to the Kinishi family's limousine waiting for her.

* * *

Once home, Satoshi put his precious three stones – the aventurine, the lapis lazuli and the carnelian – in line on his bedside table, and kept on staring at them. Images of Kaname and Hunny... or even _Takashi_... hugging and kissing filled his mind, even if he tried to chase them away. Though he had a considerable amount of doubt regarding his brother and her, he wasn't so sure about Hunny.

He rolled over to his back and stared at the ceiling.

"Taka... did you? Did... Haninozuka-senpai...?"

Those scary images entered his mind again, and now they stayed.

"Kaname-san... but why..."

He remembered her voice, her lovely dark eyes, her ebony black hair, the touch of her hand... the way she seemed to like him... but Hunny... he couldn't get over what Chika said.

"No!" he suddenly jumped to his feet and walked out of his room; he needed to clear his thoughts and...

"Watch your step, Satoshi" this time, it was his brother with his usual calm voice.

"I... eh... uh... I mean..."

"Satoshi?" Mori tilted his head. He had never seen his brother this agitated.

"Taka!" Satoshi trembled, but he needed to ask him, to know for sure "Kaname-san..."

"Come" Mori led him to his room.

"So, Satoshi?" he asked, once they had settled on two cushions.

"Yasuchika... Haninozuka-senpai... you... Kaname-san... you... did you?"

Mori sighed and stood up. He understood.

"No" he patted his brother's head "and neither did Mitsukuni."

Satoshi's eyes lit up. He knew he could trust Takashi, so there was no need to ask _really?_ He jumped up.

"Oh, Yasuchika, you're _so_ gonna get it!" he stormed out, looking for his shinai.

Mori sighed again and smiled. Things were turning towards a positive conclusion.

Satoshi looked at the three stones with stars in his eyes, then, though he would later smack himself in the head for being so cheesy, he ran his lips over them.

_Tell her, Satoshi._

He would do so the next day.

* * *

Next day, Satoshi made sure that Chika and his shinai made a close encounter before he walked to their classroom, whistling happily. He didn't tell him why, though: he didn't want more trouble, or another fit of rage. He was instead preparing himself for the big event to come. He knew when Kaname used to leave class; he would wait for her, walk with her a bit, and then tell her.

Chika was pretty puzzled. Maybe Satoshi had forgotten about Kaname? Good. Maybe the truth hurt? Oh well. He preferred not to get too near him anyway, and ran home as soon as classes were over.

Satoshi lingered around the cherry trees, the last blossoms falling from them, as he waited for the girl he loved. He kept on imagining the scene, then feeling her in his arms.

"_Kaname, I'm in love with you!"_

"_Oh, Satoshi!"_

_Then, a kiss..._

"Satoshi?" he was awoken by the real Kaname walking by, and went crimson red.

"Uh... hello!"

"Hello. You okay? You look a little... lost."

"Ah... eh... it's nothing! Can I... walk you to the limousine?"

"Sure. Aw, look! I think it's gonna rain" she pointed at the dark clouds approaching.

Nevertheless, they walked slowly among the trees and bushes, chatting about random stuff like the weather, classes, and their weekend plans.

"Nice pendant."

"Thanks!" she smiled brightly at him, and began fiddling with the shining green stone "it's an emerald. It helps you ease doubt and see the truth."

They went on, Satoshi still gathering his courage.

"Aw, man!" Kaname shivered at a gust of cold wind "I need to run, I don't wanna catch a cold."

Satoshi then felt the first raindrops.

"Bye!" Kaname began to run.

"Wait! Kaname! Wait!" Satoshi just realized this was his last chance.

"Ow, Satoshi!" she winced as he grasped her arm and pulled her back to him.

"Kaname. I need... I... I need to tell you something" he gently placed his hands on her shoulders.

Rain began to increase, but Kaname didn't seem to mind any more as she lightly lay a hand on Satoshi's arm.

"What is it, Satoshi?" she whispered.

He took a deep breath.

_The emerald. Helps you see the truth, ease doubt..._

She was lovely. The stone might help him, too.

"Kaname. I... I'm in love with you."


	18. Onyx

**Sorry if this one's short, and after such a long time. Work keeps me busy - also, there is very little left of this story, one or two chapters.**

* * *

**Chapter Seventeen – Onyx**

_Oh damn._

He had said it. What now?

Rain began pouring harder, but Satoshi didn't even notice, as a thousand scenarios played down in his mind.

"_Me too, Satoshi!"_

_And she fell into his arms…_

Then…

"_I'm sorry, Satoshi, you're just a friend to me…"_

Then…

"_Get lost, you idiot!"_

But none of them was what actually happened.

Kaname's grip on his arm tightened. Then, she slowly, very slowly began to smile. In the end, a radiant happiness shone on her face.

"Then kiss me…"

_Uh? What? Did she… did she actually say… oh dear. This can't be true…_

Then Kaname threw her arms around his neck, and he resisted no more.

"I think you need to practice kissing a bit more…" she laughed when their lips parted, her hair sticking to her face all wet.

To Satoshi, it was as if they had gone back in time and were standing in the fountain again, only now it had a wonderful outcome, an amazing one. He clumsily caressed her cheek as they kissed again, not minding the cold rain.

"Oh… whoa" Kaname pulled away and only kept a hand on his arm when the first lightning struck.

_The hematite night._

"Ah… uhm… you'll catch a cold!" she mumbled "and me too… ehm… I'd better go… bye!"

Satoshi, his eyes shining, ran to the limousine on the wet cobblestones, stepping into puddles soaking himself even more, but he couldn't care less.

He had just been kissing the girl he loved; there was no other thought on his mind, but _her_ and only _her_. How lovely she was.

Kaname, on the other hand, wasn't so happy. Yes, she was the one who _actually_ told Satoshi to kiss her. Yes, she liked him, oh yes, _a lot_… and yes, she felt happy and complete in his arms, kissing him in the rain, loved the way he held her.

But, once again, this was not _right_. Her mind still failed to let go of all the romance novels, but mostly the memories. She almost did it with Hunny, had lots of embarrassing situations with Mori, hated Satoshi all along, then _poof_, she kisses him? What the heck was going on with her?

* * *

"Watch your step, Satoshi" said Mori (once again), as Satoshi almost knocked him over and he dropped the book he was carrying.

Strangely, his brother seemed to pay no attention at all as he ran along the corridor to his room.

Mori scratched his head, looking after him. Something must have happened; fast as he was, he didn't even have time to see whether Satoshi's expression was happy or sad.

"Hm" he brushed the sleeve of his shirt, slightly wet. He also saw his brother had left quite a trail of soggy footprints.

As for Kaname's expression, it was most certainly edgy.

"I am so stupid!" she just stared at her charoite sphere. Once again she tried some dubious magic involving her minerals, but nothing helped, not even the onyx, said to ease confusion.

"Kanameee!" she heard the last voice she wanted to hear.

She definitely needed solitude, and with that fool of Aki Kamimae hanging around, she quickly realized it was not possible.

"What is it?" she asked, not really happy to see her best friend walk gracefully in.

"My, Kaname, you're all wet."

"Just home, haven't yet changed clothes."

"Oh, yes, whatever… just thought I'd drop by…"

_Why now?_

"Any other reason?"

"What is wrong with you, you're usually so happy to see me… oh, and there's this Host Club thing I thought up, maybe another ball and…"

Suddenly Aki's cellphone rang.

"Oh my, sorry! Hello?"

Kaname resisted the urge to bang her head against her desk as Aki began squealing like an immature fangirl.

"Ooooh, Kyoyaaa! But why, most certainly, of course I have time! Bye Kaname!"

The door slammed.

Kaname looked up, tired. She wondered if Aki had even noticed they didn't exchange two words during the whole time. Also, all this "business" with Kyoya she kept on mentioning and doing, was really getting on her nerves. She was fairly sure it was only business, too: Aki and Kyoya were in love, if anything, with each other's credit card.

She once again began fiddling with the onyx. It was _black…_

"That's it!" she held it tight until her fingers whitened "she must have cast a spell on me!"

_Oh wait, that's not it…_

Kaname lay back. If Reiko had cast any stupid spell, it must have worked. But Reiko's spells usually failed. Then, the onyx was another powerful negative spell-deflecting stone…  
It was not Reiko, but _herself_, who told Satoshi to kiss her – which she actually enjoyed, though he definitely needed more practice, clumsy as he was.

"But why would I want to teach him?"

When trying to get a hold of her feelings, all she could feel was a huge, catastrophic mess; utter confusion.

* * *

Reiko blew the candle off, but could still see the onyx lying on her table beside her spellbook. She smiled to herself as she picked her bag up.


End file.
